Manchester Man Pleads Guilty To Illegal Firearm Possession

          CONCORD, N.H. - Michael Roman Burghardt, 33, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to illegal firearm possession, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley of the District of New Hampshire announced today.

          According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement agents began an investigation after receiving information from a reliable source that Burghardt was regularly carrying a .380 caliber handgun. At the time, Burghardt had a prior felony conviction, and could not legally possess any firearms.  After arresting Burghardt on an unrelated warrant, agents found in his coat pocket a handgun consistent with the information they had received.

          Burghardt is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2018.

          “Gun violence threatens the safety of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “One important way to prevent gun violence is to enforce our firearms laws to ensure that criminals do not possess dangerous weapons.  This case is one example of how the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working closely with our law enforcement partners to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”

         This matter was investigated by the Manchester Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Dronzek.

          The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes. 

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