New York man pleads guilty for trying to bring loaded gun onto plane at Newark, NJ Liberty International Airport
A New York man who tried bringing a stolen and loaded gun onto a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport last year has pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Thursday that 48-year old Desmond Herring of Newburgh, New York pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of carrying a weapon on an aircraft.
The attempt to bring the loaded firearm onto a plane was thwarted by security at Newark Liberty International Airport on November 29, 2021, as Herring went in for the carry-on bag inspection.
As Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents were screening Herring's bag, they saw ammunition and a suspected firearm.
TSA agents then called in Port Authority Police in response to finding what turned out to be a loaded gun.
Herring, realizing he was in a lot of trouble, decided to take off on his own fleeing the checkpoint area without his bag and making an effort to board a flight to Atlanta, Georgia.
He was eventually caught and arrested.
Attorney Sellinger said that as authorities investigated Herring's bag, they found a 9 millimeter pistol, 10 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition loaded into a magazine, and 150 additional rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition.
Herrin is a convicted felon and that added a crime to the already serious charges.
In 2010, he was convicted on a federal level for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
If convicted of the more recent crime at his August 17 sentencing, Herring faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Jake S. Kim Esq., Fort Lee, New Jersey.
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