​Mass. Man Pleads Guilty After Gun Scheme in Hooksett

CONCORD, NH — A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2017, to a firearm charge after lining up a Granite State woman to purchase a handgun for him in Hooksett, according to U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice. Anthony Sok Say, 25, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to make a false statement in connection with the attempted acquisition of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made during today’s hearing, Sok Say and a co-conspirator, Grace Corcoran, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, on Oct. 21, 2015. Sok Say solicited Corcoran, a New Hampshire resident, to buy a hand gun for Sok Say.

"As a resident of Massachusetts, Sok Say could not purchase a hand gun in New Hampshire himself," Rice noted. "Under federal law, it is illegal for a firearms dealer to sell handguns to an individual from another state."

In connection with the attempted hand gun purchase, Corcoran filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter gun purchases. On that form, Corcoran falsely certified that she was the “actual purchaser” of the hand gun. The transfer of firearms was never accomplished because employees of the firearms dealer became suspicious, declined to complete the transaction and notified the authorities, according to a press statement.

Prior to his arrest, Sok Say, lived in Lowell, MA. He is scheduled to sentenced on May 16, 2017. Corcoran pleaded guilty to a related charge on Jan. 12, 2017, and is scheduled for sentencing on April 25, 2017.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce gun crime in America through, among other things, community outreach and vigorous prosecution of firearms offenses.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Morse.