PORTLAND — A Leeds man who bought roughly 50 guns for a Lewiston man in exchange for cash and drugs was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison.

U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock imposed the sentence on Benjamin Turcotte, 47, who had pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm from a licensed firearm dealer.

The federal felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Woodcock also imposed a three-year term of supervised release to start once Turcotte has served his time behind bars.

He has been held in federal custody since his arrest 16 months ago, when he turned himself in to authorities after hiding out for nine months.

Turcotte appeared Tuesday in court wearing a tan jail suit from Strafford County Jail in Dover, New Hampshire, where he has been held while awaiting the outcome of his case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Falk said Turcotte was part of a wide-ranging conspiracy headed up by Abdullahi “T” or “Tony” Issak of Lewiston, who sold drugs to addicted customers he would later cultivate into “straw purchasers” of guns for him. “Straw purchaser” refers to the term used when someone buys something on behalf of someone else who is unable or isn’t willing to make that purchase.

Issak would leave Maine and sell those guns in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Syracuse, New York, on the black market where they would later “wind up in the hands of dangerous individuals,” Falk said.

Some of those guns have turned up at crime scenes and in crime investigations, he said.

In all, Issak is believed to have sold more than 100 such guns out of state, according to prosecutors.

Turcotte’s participation in Issak’s scheme over a 14-week period from May to August in 2022 contributed an “extraordinary volume” of guns to that gun-trafficking conspiracy, Falk said.

Issak has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his part in the conspiracy.

Woodcock said Tuesday he had been prepared to sentence Issak to a significantly longer sentence if prosecutors had recommended it.

Turcotte signed a plea agreement last year waiving his right to appeal any sentence of 46 months or less.

On Tuesday, Turcotte’s federal public defender, David Beneman, argued that the judge should impose a sentence of 20 months.

Falk was seeking a 30-month sentence.

Beneman said his client was addicted to crack cocaine and had been easily manipulated by Issak because Turcotte was a “yes” person and a “people pleaser.”

Turcotte knew the guns he had been buying for Issak were not for his personal use, but Turcotte didn’t know exactly where they went after turning them over to Issak, Beneman said, explaining his client was “not a worldly person” and had never graduated from high school nor attained a General Educational Development certificate, which is the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Turcotte’s girlfriend at that time had introduced him to Issak.

On July 16, 2022, Turcotte bought from a federally licensed firearm dealer in Buckfield a Glock .40-caliber pistol, two Glock .45-caliber pistols and a Taurus 9 mm pistol.

During those purchases, Turcotte represented on Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms that he was the actual buyer of the firearms, and was not buying them on behalf of another person when, in fact, he was buying them at the direction of, and with money given to him by Issak, prosecutors said.

Although he performed several similar purchases, that incident was the basis for the crime to which Turcotte pleaded guilty.

Beneman said Turcotte had spiraled into a depression after his longtime girlfriend died in 2020 from cancer and turned to drugs for solace.

Turcotte suffers from anxiety and was not getting medication before his arrest, Beneman said.

As of Tuesday, Turcotte was prescribed and was taking an antidepressant used to treat some forms of anxiety and mood disorders, Beneman said.

Turcotte is one of a half-dozen Mainers who had been drug customers of Issak who have been prosecuted and sentenced for being “straw purchasers” in exchange for cash and drugs.

On Tuesday, Turcotte told the judge he apologized to the victims, the gun shops and to the federal agents who have tried to track down all of the guns Turcotte bought on Issak’s behalf.

He said he was sorry for lying on the forms and, as a result, making people “less safe.”

Turcotte said: “I was selfish,” and “I regret what I have done everyday.”

He vowed to maintain his sobriety and become a working member of society once more.

Woodcock told Turcotte the guns he provided to Issak were going to “cause harm … cause heartache” and were going to be involved “in criminal activity of all sorts.”

He told Turcotte: “It’s a very serious thing.”