An Essex County man has been sentenced to 135 months in prison and three years of supervised release for multiple firearms offenses, according to an announcement from Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello.
Kaiyir Green, 23, of Newark, pleaded guilty in July 2025 before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court. He faced a four-count indictment that included two counts of possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
Court documents and statements indicate that on March 1, 2023, law enforcement responded to a report about a stolen vehicle and observed Green attempting to enter the vehicle. When approached by officers, Green fled but was apprehended after a pursuit. Officers recovered a ghost gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition from him.
Following his arrest, Green made several phone calls from the detention center instructing another individual to remove “everything,” including a “black bag,” from his home. Law enforcement later saw someone take a black bag from Green’s residence. A search revealed that the bag contained a firearm modified with a switch to function as a fully automatic machine gun. The weapon was loaded with one round of 9mm ammunition in a large capacity magazine. Authorities also found a drum magazine capable of holding 50 rounds.
Further investigation showed that Green trafficked dozens of firearms—including AR-style pistols, machine guns, and weapons equipped with extended or drum magazines—from out-of-state into New Jersey for sale to third parties.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Newark Field Division; the New Jersey State Police; and the Elizabeth Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro represented the government in this matter.
Defense counsel for Green was Claressa Lowe.
