BOSTON - A Methuen man has was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Michael O’Neil, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to one year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release. In June 2019, O’Neil pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition after being arrested on Dec. 1, 2018 in Andover, when police seized a loaded.380 caliber pistol from him. O’Neil is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior conviction of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of Lelling’s Office is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
