ASBURY PARK – A Monmouth County man has been sentenced to 33 months in prison after police discovered the felon was in possession of a firearm through social media.
Natquan T. Johnson, 26, of Asbury Park previously pleaded guilty one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
After observing Johnson possessing a handgun on social media postings online, officers of the Asbury Park Police Department and detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office confronted Johnson, who is a previously convicted felon, at his home on July 27, 2019.
When searching the home, officers found the firearm, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, loaded with nine rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Johnson is not permitted to possess firearms under federal law.
As a result, Johnson was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On June 1, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced that Johnson was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Along with the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Johnson to three years of supervised release.
Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Newark Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai; officers of the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police David Kelso; and detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
