He was also put on three-years supervised release.
Baltimore, Md (KM) A Taneytown man was sentenced on Monday in federal court for witness retaliation and illegal possession of firearms. The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland say Jason Kiser, 40, was given eight years in a federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release during sentencing in US District Court in Baltimore. .
Prosecutors say Kiser had ordered parts for a firearm from a gunsmithing store in Taneytown on May 8th, 2018. . The owner suspected Kiser had been convicted of theft of a motor vehicle and other offenses, and was prohibited for possession a firearm . He told an AFT investigator who visited the store the next day during a compliance check, and an investigation was begun.
Federal prosecutors say on May 10th, Kiser entered the gunsmithing store, and provided the owner with AR-556 rifle, a PWA, Model Commando revolver and Model A-15 receiver. He asked the gunsmith to place a forward grip on the AR-556 rife, and take parts off of the PWA Commando and plaice them on the A-15 receiver. In coordination with investigators, the owner contacted Kiser and May 11th, 2018, and told him the firearms were ready. While approaching the store, Kiser was arrested.
Kiser was charged in Carroll County Circuit Court with illegal possession of firearms. In the charging document, the officer identified the store owner as a witness.
In July 17th, 2018, in the early morning hours, the store owner was awakened to the sound of his car’s horn, and noticed his vehicle was on fire. Fire fighters were dispatched to the scene, and extinguished the flames. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, in their investigation, was able to link Kiser to the fire using DNA evidence. He was charged.
US Attorney Robert Hur commended all of the agencies involved in this case, including the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal. . He also thanked Assistant US Attorney Patricia McLane and Mark Gurzo, formerly a Special Assistant US Attorney in Maryland and now an Assistant US Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania, who prosecuted the case.
“We take witness tampering and witness retaliation very seriously,” Hur said in a statement. “Those who tamper with or retaliate against a witness will face federal prosecution and federal prison, where there is no parole–ever.”
By Kevin McManus