SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — A Norwich man has pled guilty in federal court to weapons charges after he allegedly purchased a short-barreled rifle illegally.
19-year-old Benjamin Wheeler of Norwich pled guilty to the charge on Wednesday, October 2.
In his guilty plea, Wheeler admitted that in August, he possessed a “Spikes Tactical” AR-15 rifle in his apartment in Norwich. Wheeler did not register the rifle, knowing that the rifle had a barrel length of less than 16 inches.
Wheeler will be sentenced in the federal court in Utica on February 12, 2025. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 and a period of supervised release of up to three years.