Salisbury man sentenced for bank fraud

Mar. 23—BOSTON — A former Tyngsborough police officer on Wednesday was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

Daniel Whitman, 39, of Salisbury was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 366 days in prison and two years of supervised release. Whitman was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.

In October 2022, Whitman pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud conspiracy; two counts of bank fraud; two counts of making false statements to a bank; one count of possession of an unregistered firearm; one count of conspiracy to violate provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA); one count of making a firearm in violation of the NFA; and one count of transferring a firearm in violation of the NFA.

Whitman was a police officer with the Tyngsborough Police Department and owner of Hitman Firearms, a retail gun shop in Tyngsborough. He also created Freedom Alley Shooting Sports, which he envisioned as a large indoor shooting range that would serve regional and international customers and offer shooting clinics and other services.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that Whitman and co-conspirator Bin Lu, a Chinese national, sought to build a large indoor shooting range for regional and international customers, and offer shooting clinics and other services.

The two men brought in a Chinese investor who contributed several million dollars to the project. But when in applying for loans from federally insured financial institutions, Whitman allegedly hid the true source of their initial funding from the banks and filed false documents in connection with loan applications, according to court documents.

Law enforcement officials also believe Whitman knowingly made, possessed and transferred guns that had been modified by adding stocks and short barrels, resulting in their classification as short-barreled rifles under the Firearms Act.

In June 2021, Lu pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 6.

Whitman faced up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud. The Firearms Act charges provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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