Passaic County Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years for Firearms and Narcotics Offenses

NEWARK, N.J. - A Passaic County man was sentenced on August 5, 2026, to 180 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for firearms and narcotics offenses, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

David Reams, 37, of Paterson, was convicted by a federal jury on January 27, 2026, of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime following a trial before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court. Judge Chesler also imposed the sentence.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On May 6, 2024, Paterson Police Department observed Reams conducting movements consistent with possession of a firearm. When Paterson detectives attempted to stop Reams, he attempted to flee. Paterson detectives ultimately recovered a 9-millimeter pistol, loaded with an extended magazine, as well as over 450 individual doses of fentanyl and crack cocaine from Reams's person.

Reams was previously convicted in 2017 of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Judge Chesler sentenced him to serve 103 months' imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release for that offense, and Reams was serving that term of supervised release at the time he committed the May 6, 2024 offenses. On August 5, 2026, Judge Chesler also sentenced Reams to a concurrent term of 24 months imprisonment for violating his prior term of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited with the investigation special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, as well as the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Patrick Murray, with the investigation leading to this conviction.

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.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Kober, of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit, and Daniel H. Rosenblum, of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit.

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Defense counsel: John McMahon, Esq.