Crime
The New Hampshire man purchased a semi-automatic pistol for a co-conspirator who was ineligible for a gun license.
A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawfully purchasing a semi-automatic pistol for an unlicensed individual who later fired it near a public school and was arrested in connection with a “large-scale car theft enterprise,” federal prosecutors said.
Isaiah Johnson, 24, of Merrimack, N.H., admitted guilt on one count of firearm trafficking by unlawful delivery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. He was initially arrested and charged in June.
In February 2024, Johnson purchased a tan-colored 9-millimeter Glock 19X semi-automatic pistol from a New Hampshire gun store for a co-conspirator who was ineligible for a gun license, according to prosecutors. He delivered the firearm to the co-conspirator about one week later.
The co-conspirator was arrested at his Brockton residence in December 2024 and charged in Brockton Superior Court in connection with an investigation into a car theft enterprise responsible for an estimated 63 stolen vehicles worth more than $2.6 million, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. Investigators found the firearm Johnson had purchased and two large-capacity magazines during a search of the co-conspirator’s residence, according to officials.
Online videos showed the co-conspirator firing the pistol while it was equipped with a “selector switch,” effectively making it a fully automatic weapon, prosecutors said. The video was filmed near a Brockton public school where more than 50 shell casings were later found.
Johnson faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the firearm trafficking charge, according to prosecutors. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 11, 2026.
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