A Jersey City man was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a handgun while selling heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Raymond Petway, 38, of Jersey City, was convicted of one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court last week.
On September 21st, 2017, law enforcement officers from the Jersey City Police Department observed Petway, a convicted felon, selling heroin at Woodlawn Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard while in possession of a loaded and stolen High-Point 9mm handgun.
The count of possession with intent to distribute heroin carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The count of being a felon in possession is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, which must run consecutively to the term imposed for the drug trafficking count.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Honig credited the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews in Newark; and the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Forensic Laboratory, under the direction of Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, with the investigation leading to Thursday’s guilty verdict.
This is a Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) case. PSN is designed to create and foster safer communities through a sustained reduction in violent crime.
The program’s effectiveness depends upon the ongoing coordination, cooperation, and partnerships of local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies and community organizations working together with the communities they serve – engaged in a unified approach coordinated by the U.S. Attorney in all 94 districts.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Meriah Russell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
I pray Raymond finds piece he haven’t been right since his brother Kareem pass away I still remember him in my heart and still till this day love him Raymond while your down find Jesus he will give you rest keep your head up and I will be praying for you