Schenectady Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Straw Purchasing a Shotgun Later Used to Fire Shots Outside of Temple Israel

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Andrew Miller, age 38, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 14 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiring with Mufid Fawaz Alkhader to illegally purchase, from a gun shop, a shotgun for Alkhader.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

As part of his earlier guilty plea, Miller admitted that between October 1, 2023 and November 6, 2023, he and Alkhader conspired to lie to a firearms dealer in Albany County that he (Miller) was the actual buyer of a Kel-Tec 12-gauge pump shotgun, when in fact, Alkhader was the true buyer. Miller and Alkhader came up with the plan because they believed that Alkhader could not lawfully purchase the shotgun himself. Miller further admitted that on November 5, 2023, he lied on the Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473) submitted to the gun shop when he falsely stated that he was the true purchaser of the shotgun. On November 6, 2023, Miller and Alkhader returned to the gun shop and Miller took possession of the shotgun. Miller also admitted that later on November 6, he transferred the shotgun to Alkhader.

According to a criminal complaint, Alkhader used the shotgun to fire shots outside of Temple Israel in Albany on December 7, 2023. Alkhader is currently charged by criminal complaint alleging that he and Miller conspired to lie to a firearms dealer in Albany County surrounding the straw purchase of the Kel-Tec 12-gauge pump shotgun. The charges in the complaint against Alkhader are merely accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the ATF, and the Albany Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping are prosecuting this case.