Authorities say a man from Ocean County has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for unlawfully possessing a privately manufactured short-barrel rifle, a silencer, and numerous fake badges of various federal agencies.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger says 57-year-old Jeffrey Backlund of Waretown had previously pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing firearms that were not registered in the National Firearms Register and Transfer Record, and unlawful possession of an official badge or identification card.

According to Sellinger's office,

On Sept. 6, 2020, after investigating a domestic disturbance, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Backlund’s residence and located a number of firearms and imitation federal identification badges. They found one short-barreled, AR-style, .223 caliber rifle bearing no serial number and no branding. Attached to the rifle, they found a tan metal cylindrical device that law enforcement determined to be a silencer.

Officials say Backlund was required to, but did not, register those items in the National Firearms Register and Transfer Record pursuant to the National Firearms Act.

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Officers also located,

  • Two bi-fold wallets containing FBI Special Agent identification credentials bearing Backlund’s picture and personal information
  • A United States Marshals Service badge
  • A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent badge
  • A Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent badge.

All of the badges and identifications were fake and Backlund did not have the authority to possess any of them.

In addition to the prison term, Backlund was sentenced to three years of supervised release and fined $5,000.

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