Camden Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison
for Illegal Possession of Firearms
CAMDEN – A Camden man was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison today for illegally possessing two firearms, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.
U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman also ordered Henry N. Cole, 20, a.k.a. “Duke,” to serve
three years of supervised release upon the completion of his prison term. Judge Hillman
remanded the defendant to the custody officials with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to begin
serving his prison term. Cole has been held without bail in federal custody on a detainer filed
for unrelated state charges in connection with the murder of 17-year-old Saad Brittingham in
Camden on July 5, 2007.
Cole was initially arrested by Camden Police on July 15, 2007, for illegally possessing two handguns. The case was adopted for federal prosecution and a criminal Complaint was filed
on July 25, 2007. According to the Complaint, during the afternoon of July 15 an off-duty
Camden police officer was driving through the Centerville section of the city when he heard
gun shots and then heard shouts from fellow officers that shots were being fired at officers.
According to the Complaint, the off-duty officer spotted three individuals jump from a vehicle
and flee on foot. The officer chased the individuals and saw two of them enter a corner store.
The officer entered the store and ordered the two individuals to the ground. One of the
individuals, who was later identified as Cole, was found to be in possession of two revolvers.
One of the handguns contained six spent shell casings and the other handgun contained four
spent shell casings and two live rounds, including one hollow-point round.
Cole pleaded guilty before Judge Hillman on Feb. 4, 2008, to a one-count Information that
charges him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At his plea hearing, Cole
admitted that on the date charged, he and two other individuals were in a car that stopped near
the intersection of 9th and Everett Streets and that they got out of the car and ran down 9th
Street. Cole admitted that he and Manfred Younger, 22, of Camden, ran into a store at 10th
and Thurman Streets and that they were followed in by a police officer who ordered them to
get on the floor. Cole admitted being in possession of a Sturm, Ruger .357-caliber revolver
and a Colt Lawman .357-caliber Magnum revolver at the time of his arrest. Furthermore,
Cole agreed that the Colt handgun had been reported stolen. Prior to his possession of the two
handguns, Cole was convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year,
he admitted.
On April 14, 2008, Younger and three other Camden men pleaded guilty to conspiring to
illegally possess four loaded firearms in Camden. At their plea hearings, Younger, Jeffrey
Jones, 31, a.k.a. “Jazzy,” Anthony Parker, 24, and Abdullah Fussell, 26, admitted that on Sept.
27, 2007, they conspired and agreed with each other to illegally possess firearms, having
known that each of them had previously been convicted of a felony. They also admitted that
on that date, they possessed a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun; a
loaded Beretta 9mm semi-automatic handgun; a loaded Heckler & Koch 9mm semi-automatic handgun; and a loaded Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The four defendants were
arrested by police officers with the Camden Police Department after the 2007 Buick Terranza
they were traveling in was stopped for reckless driving.
The charge of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon carries a maximum
penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
In determining an actual sentence, Judge Hillman will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity
and characteristics of the offense, the defendant's criminal history, if any, and other factors.
The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.
Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms
must serve nearly all that time.
Christie credited police officers with the Camden Police Department, under the direction of
Chief Edward Hargis; Special Agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the
direction of, Special Agent in Charge Janice K. Fedarck in Philadelphia; and the Camden
County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk, with the
investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the
Criminal Division in Camden.
– end –
Defense Attorney: Cole - Christopher O’Malley, Esq. Assistant Federal Public Defender
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