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SCRANTON — A former Luzerne County constable was indicted by a federal grand jury on a firearm offense.

Sydney Snelling, 48, formerly of Irving Place, Wilkes-Barre, was charged with unlawfully possessing an unregistered firearm, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.

The indictment alleges Snelling possessed an assault rifle with a modified barrel under 16 inches without possessing the requisite tax stamp to possess such a firearm in April 2022.

At the time of the alleged offense, Snelling was a constable in Luzerne County.

The case was investigated by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Snelling was charged earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office with straw purchases of 22 firearms from three licensed firearm dealers from June 2014 to September 2015, according to Luzerne County Court records.

Court records say Snelling gave the firearms to Brandon Mario Martinez, who is prohibited from owning, carrying and possessing firearms due to a drug traffic conviction resulting in a sentence of two-to-four years in state prison.