Former Marine Sergeant With Ties to Willits and Redway Pled Guilty to Federal Firearms Charges Including Possession of a Ghost Gun
LinkedIn photo of Jonathan Cuney.
A former Marine Sergeant and the recipient of a Purple Heart received during the Battle of Fallujah, Jonathan M. Cuney, who maintained a business in Willits, Triangle Services Group, LLC, and a storage shed in Redway pled guilty yesterday in the State of New York to several federal firearm charges.
In addition to firearms, the storage shed in Redway contained a number of items that were unusual, including one pair of handcuffs with key as well as FBI and DEA patches and badges.
The Times Union reported,
The plea brings another sad outcome for a once-lauded war hero. Before his sentencing in [another] case, Cuney’s attorney, John Calcagni, said his client had been awarded the Purple Heart for injuries in combat. According to the lawyer’s memo to the judge, Cuney and fellow Marines had been occupying and defending a building while engaged in combat when an insurgent tossed a hand grenade through an open window.
“Mr. Cuney spotted the grenade, warned his fellow Marines and attempted to clear the area,” the attorney stated.
“An insurgent fired a machine gun in Mr. Cuney’s direction, thwarting his efforts to escape the grenade’s blast zone. The grenade detonated propelling Mr. Cuney down a flight of stairs and causing him to sustain a shrapnel, flesh wound and a variety of soft tissue injuries.”
Below is a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York:
Jonathan M. Cuney, age 38, and a part-time resident of East Greenbush, New York, pled guilty [yesterday] to unlawfully possessing firearms including “ghost guns,” and ammunition, and admitted to maintaining large collections of firearms and ammunition in East Greenbush and Humboldt County, California.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
Cuney pled guilty to unlawfully possessing, as a felon, a Springfield Armory rifle and an FMK Firearms Inc. AR-15-style rifle receiver/frame, and to possessing three unregistered silencers, between September 9, 2019 and November 14, 2019.
Cuney has a prior conviction for unlawful gun trafficking. In December 2015, he pled guilty, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, to transporting and selling firearms with obliterated serial numbers while he was a licensed firearms dealer. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and returned to East Greenbush in April 2017 upon his release from prison.
Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon stated: “Today’s guilty plea is the result of a cross-country investigation that took a dangerous person off the streets. Jonathan Cuney has a prior conviction for selling untraceable firearms. After his release from prison, he built ghost guns and acquired other firearms, and maintained large caches of firearms and ammunition in New York and California. I commend the ATF for investigating Cuney as he travelled across the United States, and for quickly arresting him and removing this threat to our communities.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito stated: “Jonathan Cuney’s criminal record makes it abundantly clear that he is a danger to the community. This case is the product of a concerted, collaborative effort across multiple ATF jurisdictions to identify and stop the sale of illegal firearms. We will always be committed to removing armed criminals from our communities who threaten the safety of our citizens.”
In pleading guilty today, Cuney also admitted that from at least August 2018 until November 12, 2019, he purchased firearms parts from several dozen online retailers, and had these items shipped to East Greenbush; Willits, California (where he maintained a residence); and Providence, Rhode Island (where he formerly maintained a legitimate firearms business). Cuney then used these firearms parts to manufacture non-serialized handguns, rifles, and silencers. These firearms are often called “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, making them more difficult for law enforcement to trace.
ATF searched Cuney’s East Greenbush storage unit on November 14, 2019, and found it to contain, among other items:
- Two (2) rifles,
- One (1) revolver,
- Four (4) serialized AR-15-style rifle receivers/frames,
- Two (2) completed “ghost guns,”
- Five (5) pistol parts kits,
- Two (2) completed silencers and enough parts to build more than ten (10) silencers,
- An assorted quantity of firearm parts and accessories, of which five (5) are classified as machineguns under federal law, and
- 3,250 rounds of assorted rifle and pistol ammunition.
Cuney also rented a storage unit in Redway, California. ATF searched this storage unit on November 20, 2019, and found it to contain, among other items:
- Two (2) Glock pistols,
- Seven (7) additional handguns,
- Three (3) rifles,
- One (1) shotgun,
- Five (5) machinegun conversion kits,
- More than ten (10) silencers, and
- More than 1,000 rounds of assorted rifle and handgun ammunition.
Today, Cuney also pled guilty to unlawfully possessing, on September 17, 2019, in Columbia, Missouri, several thousand rounds of ammunition that he purchased at a firearms store through a straw purchaser.
He also pled guilty to unlawfully possessing, on November 12, 2019, near Tucson, Arizona, a pistol and a rifle, which were discovered during a traffic stop of a vehicle that Cuney was driving.
Cuney pled guilty to these additional federal charges, in Albany federal court, with the consent of the Acting United States Attorneys for the District of Arizona and the Western District of Missouri, respectively.
Cuney has been in custody since November 12, 2019. He faces up to 10 years in prison, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, when Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin sentences him on October 19, 2021. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
As part of his plea agreement, Cuney also agreed to abandon a variety of firearms, silencers, ammunition, and firearm parts found in both East Greenbush and Redway, California, as well as the following items, all found in Redway: one pair of handcuffs with key; 56 Monadnock disposable single cuffs; and clothing items, patches and badges bearing law enforcement acronyms and insignia, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ball cap, FBI badges, FBI patches, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) patches, and DEA badges.
These cases were investigated by the ATF New York Field Division, with assistance from ATF Special Agents and Task Force Officers in Arizona, California, Missouri, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. The California Highway Patrol also assisted in the investigation.
The New York case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
The Arizona case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai of the District of Arizona.
The Missouri case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver of the Western District of Missouri.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Sounds like he is a gun nut type collector not a gun running money grub. Why no undercover gun deal /sale sting ? Come on man….this is BS.
A man could give and risk his life for his friend; “THE USA”… But the USA is a horrible friend. It is a bully, a thug, a back stab and a disloyal selfish friend who gets what it wants by sending its thuggish goons to come kick down your families doors and steal your possessions. It is backed up ONLY BY VIOLENCE. It gains its power by violence; by putting weapons and badges in young mens hands and ordering the foolish young and hate filled old to en-force the law using violence and force. The USA as a Corporation is the absolute worse kind of friend; a violent backstab bully who gets its power by using violence
So he violates the law and it’s somebody elses fault?
A licensed gun dealer is supposed to know the laws.
Machine guns? On the streets?
Really?
He wasn’t part of a well regulated militia boys.
And his machine guns are proven to have killed who or how many people …….. again i am seeing scary sounding items that have harmed no person being used to instill fear and hatred towards another by people that are easily controlled by fear
And why the need for ghost guns?
Because a law abiding citizen can’t obtain a gun?
And why does a citizen need a weapon of war, i.e. machine gun?
For what reason should any of us have the ability to massacre 100 people in less than a minute?
Do you have proof that none of the illegal weapons he had possession of did NOT cause illegal/unjustified harm to another?
Asking real questions to confront unfounded rhetoric does not equate with being controlled by fear.
I submit that your comment uses falsehoods to marginalize and divert from any reasonable discourse about a real and serious issue.
Many ghost guns have been attributed to many unjustified homicides in the US.
The US has the highest rates of unjustified gun violence on the planet outside of SOME warzones but NOT all.
Any of you should already know that if you break the law that you risk losing freedoms. Wah wah wah
If you take the risk of breaking the law and get popped then stand up and take your licks.
No surprise here.
Feds doing what the feds have done for many decades.
“The US has the highest rates of unjustified gun violence on the planet outside of SOME warzones but NOT all.”
Not even close.
Okay…I will double check.my sources but you need to as well.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/crime-prevention-research-center/
The Crime Prevention Research Center is NOT an unbiased and transparent scientific study center.
Therefore, not a good source of UNbiased info.
Bias is a very real problem.
Especially when you stop looking when you find the info you want to find.
It’s called Confirmation Bias.
This is information compiled from the Small Arms Survey which is a Swiss based organization.
http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/about-us/mission.html
And, perhaps, fact check your fact checkers:
“The Columbia Journalism Review describes Media Bias/Fact Check as an amateur attempt at categorizing media bias and Van Zandt as an “armchair media analyst”.[2] The Poynter Institute notes, “Media Bias/Fact Check is a widely cited source for news stories and even studies about misinformation, despite the fact that its method is in no way scientific.”[3]” -wiki
Ooooo know scary words ghost guns !!!!! Again a term for a tool made of metal that the only difference between it and a normal gun happens to be that who ever made it did not beg permission for the almighty and power government. A gun is nothing but a chunk of metal formed into a certain way , a scary ghost gun is one formed into the same shape yet just without the person forming it begging for permission.
Some could say gun smithing is a art and there by someone who creates art is expressing themselves through said art , there by providing a valid point that their art is protected not just by the second but also by the first. And if you dont see that slippery slope then you are still a simple Minded person who shouldnt be on the internet unsupervised
You know… people with attitudes like yours is why this nation has such a HUGE problem with illegal firearms. Firearms that fall into the hands of the criminals you and your ilk scream about when they commit crime. Do you REALLY believe this asshole had all those firearms and ammo for target practice??? Hell, no. He SOLD those firearms to people who couldn’t legally own them and for that, he should get more than ten years in prison.
Sheesh.
Here here
You will never see or hear me scream about someone having a firearm , but you can and will hear me scream for me not being able to stop said persons from committing a crime against me or those close to me. Your safety is not something that is protected or something that is over power of my rights, if you dont feel safe with guns around that is your problem not mine .
Wanting to see gun restrictions for felons and criminals enforced does NOT equate with a fear of guns.
I am a gun owner.
Fix your fuzzy logic amd stop marginalizing with unreasonable projections onto others and then MAYBE a reasonable discussion can ensue.
Did the man in the story file his 992 forms?
Obviously not
There is no such thing as an illegal firearm only the people that use them in a bad manner. if you are batshit crazy a felon a gang member, or just a plain ol doper, or drunk. you ought not fool with guns or fire works, spears knives bows. an let the plain ol mundane folks in this world have them. not to mention the worst killer of them all, the automobile.
im sure this will create ire.
Fast and furious was the fault of the independent mom and pop’s dealers or maybe El HEFFE Itself
I’m under the same impression but wonder how he ended up on their radar. Something unlawful came up on the radar and that’s where my interests lie
He was selling unregistered ghost guns to criminals.
Google it.
Because Google is a truthful, and unbiased source of information.
Selling and manufacturing ghost guns, using a straw buyer, and being a felon in possession of all kinds of stuff he wasn’t supposed to have? Ten years is not enough.
BTW, didn’t some foreign tourists get robbed by someone posing as law enforcement up in Prairie Creek a few years back?
I think that was determined to be a fake call to draw LE away from another incident.
Wrong- that was part of a string of robberies in north eastern humboldt by a native crew with police clothes. Not sure if they were ever caught.
No, that was a false police report and a really stupid one that got me a phone call from a federal agent investigating that report. Yikes. What actually happened was a legitimate weed farm was robbed by four local dudes whom are known to the sheriffs department. They were using matching bulletproof vests and fully automatic weapons. Kind of seemed like they were impersonating the police except they were not trying too hard they were jacked up on stimulants and ready to kill.
Anybody have real evidence?
Sounds like yall are arguing over 3 different rumors pushed thru the mill.
A link to a report?
I don’t think think the police are
Gonna weigh in on Kyms blog but my understanding is the legal grow was being robbed in weitchpec and the call for service at lady Byrd Johnson grove about a robbery was a ruse to draw resources away so first responders couldn’t trap the guys hitting the grow down river.
Why is he a danger to the community. Just because the govt. has political gun laws that arguably violate the second amendment?
I’ve got all sorts of unregistered and ghost hammers.
Those cause more damage than these types of firearms.
Shall not be infringed!
He also had a bunch of police uniforms and badges. I can you think of a legal use for those?
And silencers. Those aren’t for target practice.
Suppressors are great for target practice, I wish we could at least use them at indoor gun ranges
They are for ear protection.
It’s absurd that they are federally criminalized.
Yes , people tend to collect things such as uniforms , do you have house hold cleaning chemicals in your home ? If so you have bomb making materials ……. or what about shit and salt water ? Also bomb making materials … get my point ? There has been zero intent proven for someone to get all bunched in the crouch over such things
If he had a store and was selling items of interest. These are items of interest
Worry less about your neighbor, an more about yourself
Wouldn’t that be nice?
There is no valid argument that they violate the second amendment as a reading clearly indicates that the right to bear arms belongs to members of well-organized militias. At one time this would have meant the state national guard but since the national guard was activated overseas we have no well-regulated militias.
“Nowhere else in the Constitution does a ‘right’ attributed to ‘the people’ refer to anything other than an individual right. What is more, in all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention ‘the people,’ the term unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset…The Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms…The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it ‘shall not be infringed.’”
Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Scalia also, in Heller, said:
“the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.”
And?
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. Miller’s holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those “in common use at the time” finds support in the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons.”
Wrong the ppl are the militia. If your a felon how can you be part of a militia. Studies have found on an average Americans commit 3 felonies a day without even knowing. It’s designed that way too disarm you. WE THE PPL ARE THE MILITIA. the national guard was never the militia of the governor controls it. The militia is separate from the government in order to keep it from becoming tyrannical. Learn your history.
Clearly no lawyers or judges here
National Guard is militia.
Fake militias are normally anti-government extremists claiming they know special stuff.
Militia
A militia is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of regular, full-time military personnel; or, historically, to members of a warrior nobility class.
Wikipedia
You need to read the Second Amendment again. It does mention the word “regulated” you know.
Lol this is all petty crime. Imagine our government selling weapons to other countries illegally…oh wait…or fueling a drug trade….oh wait
You honestly think the people he was dealing with were committing “petty crimes” with all the illegal stuff he was into?? Petty criminals don’t do cross country gun sales and stockpile ammunition and process fake badges, ghost guns and silencers. Not such a “petty crime” when him and his homies pull an untraceable home invasion on your house.
Or do shit like stage an insurrection against the United States.
Or the Obama administration running guns to Mexican cartels, one of which was responsible for the death of a Border Patrol agent.
That was done by a couple Commanders and agents of the DEA without advance knowledge by the Obama administration.
OBumba owns it !
And then Biden allows those cartels from any Country to pour into the USA with open borders.
Why the dea patches ?? Was he robbing grows ?
No excuse for the patches. I suspect he was up to no good, but not a reason to go after citizens minding their own business and keeping their homes safe.
Ghost guns alone could just be to stay off Gov. confiscation lists. An attempt to stop tracking.
The Gov. is very interested in legal owners yet has no interest in stopping what’s going on in Chicago, NY, Portland, Importing Cartels, etc.
That is not a very impressive list. Surely all of these alphabet soup agencies working together could derive something more substantial?
Well now he’s an informant, so….
What does fucking Afghanis have to do with his crimes in the US?
“Sir, my client went to war, there is no need to stop him from committing more war crimes here in the US!”
Iraq.
Indeed. Thank you.
Even less necessary than Afghan.
Yeah. I’m sick to death of veterans using their service as an excuse to be a douchebag. This asshole should’ve been ashamed to bring up his service in Iraq… I would’ve been, under the circumstances.
Mearly what he was willing to give up and what they found out about.
I wonder how many home invasion robberies this thug has under his belt? He most likely moved to Willits specifically for that purpose. After what he’s seen in Iraq, a home invasion at a pot farm would be a walk in the park. He’s probably friends with those cops from Rohnert Park who were pulling over people and stealing their product.
wow … just wow !
No shot. What a reach.
He could have had an office job in Iraq or served meals for all you know, amazing how people assume and project.
Obviously… the guy just needs another gun and then he’ll chill.
No, that was a false police report and a really stupid one that got me a phone call from a federal agent investigating the report. Yikes. What actually happened was a legitimate weed farm was robbed by four local dudes whom are known to the sheriffs department. They were using matching bulletproof vests and fully automatic weapons. Kind of seemed like they were impersonating the police except they were not trying too hard they were jacked up on stimulants and ready to kill.
What the hell were we doing at Fallujah anyway? Invaded a country on false pretenses and captured the leader and set up a bulshit court and then literally hung him? We hung the leader of a sovereign Nation? Your tax dollars at work.
Syria might still be intact if we hadn’t put a wobble in the orbit of the region as we did.
I think historians will see the turn of the century as the high-water mark for American wealth and power. We are in decline but haven’t quite noticed it yet. We all just got a bit poor or over the past year but aren’t really feeling the pinch. Wait till they have to replace the signs at gas stations to accommodate another decimal place for $10 a gallon gas and it’s all going to feel a little more real. But until everyone catches on we’ll just keep printing these dollars and spending them, 740 billion on the military this year, I think… something like that.
WOW sounds terrible….to those who do not know federal gun laws. Then it is sensation crap.
Lets look at what laws he really broke.
1. If he is a felon he can NOT posses a firearm under federal law since 1936
2. Silencers/ suppressors are NOT illegal you just have to pay the $200 tax stamp I assume he did not. guess those gun laws do not work for criminals, they just don’t give a shit.
3. Taking serial numbers off of firearms is illegal as well. It was vague in the release about this.
4. OK- “Ghost guns”- totally legal to make your own unless you are making them to sell. In fact the term ghost gun is NOT a legal term and made up by media. Total bullshit.
5. “Straw buy ammo”- total bullshit. no such thing. I can buy all the ammo I want mail order, for someone else etc etc under Federal law.
6. Had hats etc with LE logos. Not illegal. Not one bit. Again total bullshit. Now if they proved he was using that to pose as a cop “illegal” or use them to rob people pretending to be a cop say so, but mere possesion of a hat that says “FBI” etc is NOT illegal. More bullshit sensationalism to make them look good and make him look bad.
7. Handcuffs. Once again not illegal. If he was using that stuff for illegal purposes just say so don’t say he had all this stuff like it was illegal. Again bullshit.
I know this was a press release Kym just printed so I am NOT slamming her, but the propaganda of the feds on this release. I am NOT advocating felons be able to posses firearms. Also what does his history of serving have to do with it? Screw him if he broke the law he goes to prison.
Sounds like he was running guns to who the hell knows. Gangs, cartels? He could have been posing as a cop to rip people off? Does not say they just suggest actions without proof.
Just come out and say it or shut the F%^K up about this stuff. This passive aggressive press release crap needs to stop and state facts not allude to things he may or may not have done.
It shows intent…duh. He wasn’t just a gun collector, but someone who intended to do illegal things with guns. Additionally, you CANNOT purchase ammunition in California by mail.
It is amazing how many armchair Constitutional lawyers we have here. Typically, lawyers cite precedent, for which there is significant precedent regarding 2nd amendment, to support their positions. “FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS” is not in the Constitution…
Ooohh… intent! Look folks, someone who watched the Minority Report!
Yes, you can purchase ammo by Mail in California. Just not legally according to California’s unconstitutional gun laws. Many of which are falling like dominoes under scrutiny.
Good luck finding a company that wants to keeps its license. How does restriction on the sames of ammo have anything to do with the 2nd amendment? I do not believe there is anything in the 2nd amendment about ammunition. And what laws “have fallen like dominoes?” And BTW, intent has a lot to do with the law…For someone who is seemingly intent on breaking so-called illegal laws, you sure don’t know much about the legal process. You may want to consult an attorney not named Guiliani or Powell…
Nothing new in the comments.
Gun nuts give gun nuts a pass.
Carry on….
No such thing as a gun nut. It’s a right inherent in the Constitution. “…the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed.”
So sorry you still seem to struggle with reading comprehension.
It’s an inherent Natural Right. The Constitution only affirms this and limits* the government from doing anything that infringes on that Natural Right.
*it’s supposed to, anyway.
Some people worship guns, some people don’t. And yes, there are Gun Nuts. You can say there isn’t all you like, doesn’t change the fact.
My cousin is a devout holy rolling gun nut.
He’ll buy a gun rather pay his mortgage or other bills, which keeps his wife and children safe at home where the likelihood of needing the gun is far far lower than if they lived out on the streets.
Every household in our extended family has at least 1, most have 3 or more.
All the kids learn by 10 because they just might visit the home of one or more of the gun nutburgers who speak here, in order to play with your kids, assuming the nutburger isn’t too paranoid.
And you can say there are gun nuts. Doesn’t prove that there are.
You’re saying that there aren’t people that love guns, collect guns, shoot guns, wax poetic about guns, different types of guns, their firepower, ammunition, capacity, legality and history?
You know exactly what was inferred.
It’s the same as saying someone is a car nut or a horse nut. Does that spell it out for you?
You’re merely giving your opinion on another’s hobby or interest.
[edit]
Funny how a white guy is a “gun nut, gun dealer” but a person of color is a “bad guy, thug, pos” and everyone comes out of the woodwork to say he’s entitled to said firearms,ammo, patches. So again, if you’re white your all right!!!!! And let’s see if this gets posted, probably not, cuz I’m saying the truth!
No problem whatsoever with any US citizen of any race, color, creed, religion or one of the two genders possessing a weapon. Perhaps your point of view is “colored”, so to speak?
I support everybody’s right to bear arms.
Yay, another Dylan Roof and Stephen Paddock fan.
Go Merica.
I’m failing to see what he had in possession that violates the Constitution of the Inited States of America.
The right to possess parts and weapons of all types are protected under the 2nd Amendment despite local, State and federal laws that violate the 2nd Amendment. The only common sense rule (not law) pertaining to the 2nd Amendment is have a firm grip on your weapon, have a clear sight picture and be aware of the background in case your intended target moves or flinches.
Yup the Press release is sensational but for whatever reason he chose not to fight the charges and take it in the rear like a man. He was not confident in his attorney or didn’t have one. Had a (Lolip) litigator of low income persons. They don’t do shit for you unless they feel morally obligated . Lol
Gun violence: Biden targets rogue dealers, illegal firearms in new crime strategy
In a speech from the White House, Biden announced a “zero-tolerance policy” for rogue gun dealers and a new focus by the Justice Department to try to stop the illegal sale of firearms.
Proud Boy ? Proud of what?