Grand jury indicts Coast Guard lieutenant on federal charges
GREENBELT, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A grand jury indicted a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant from Maryland on federal charges Wednesday.
Christopher Paul Hasson, 49, of Silver Spring, was federally charged for unlawful possession of silencers, possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful user, and for the possession of a controlled substance, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the District of Maryland.
The indictment and court documents say Hasson has been charged with illegal possession of two silencers. The release says "federal law requires silencers to bear serial numbers and to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record." Hasson's did not meet the criteria.
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According to the indictment, Hasson is an "unlawful user and addict of a controlled substance," -- tramadol, an opioid analgesic -- which makes him prohibited from possessing 17 firearms. The release says seven rifles, two shotguns, four pistols, two revolvers, an assembled silencer and a disassembled firearm silencer were found in Hasson's home on February 15 while authorities executed a search warrant. On that day, Hasson was arrested on related charges and has been detained ever since.
If convicted, Hasson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the three charges related to firearms and firearm silencers, according to the release. He also faces up to one year in prison for possession of tramadol.