CONCORD — A Newport, N.H., felon awaiting trial in an assault case has been convicted on a federal firearms charges, according to court documents.
Jacob Valley, 26, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm on Tuesday in a virtual hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Stephen McAuliffe in Concord. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to court documents.
Valley is prohibited from having a gun because he has several felony convictions including witness tampering and second-degree assault in 2014 and theft and receiving stolen property in 2016, according to a federal affidavit filed by ATF agent John Forte in 2019. He also wrote that Valley is a “known” member of the Gangster Disciples gang.
Valley was charged with the firearms offense in 2019 after federal agents learned from sources and social media posts that Valley may have several guns, according to the affidavit. They searched a home he was staying at in Lempster, N.H., and found a pistol and a shotgun, according to authorities. He has been in federal custody since the arrest.
Shortly after he was arrested by federal authorities, the Sullivan Superior Court grand jury indicted Valley on separate assault and firearms charges. Those charges were related to an incident in October 2019 when Valley allegedly beat and kicked 21-year-old Richard Gingras on Beechmont Street in Claremont. Gingras told police later that he owed Valley money.
Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway said Wednesday that he expects Valley’s trial on the assault charges to be held in the superior court within the next few months.
Valley’s sentencing on the federal firearms charges is scheduled for July 13.