Rensselaer Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Ammunition

ALBANY, NEW YORK - James Edwards, age 30, of Rensselaer, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing multiple rounds of ammunition.

United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement.

In pleading guilty, Edwards admitted that on October 8, 2024, inside of his Rensselaer residence, he unlawfully possessed more than 40 rounds of various caliber ammunition. A prior felony conviction prevented Edwards from lawfully possessing the ammunition.

When he is sentenced on August 5, 2025, Edwards faces a maximum term of fifteen years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release up to three years. 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.

The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Rensselaer Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss is prosecuting the case, as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.