United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy | U.S. Department of Justice
A Boston man has admitted to carrying a loaded firearm illegally. Pepo Herd El, also known as Pepo Wamchawi Herd, 51, from Dorchester, pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs has set the sentencing for January 2, 2025.
Herd El was apprehended on Thanksgiving Day in 2020 and has been detained since then. Before his arrest, he made numerous online purchases related to firearms, including a laser sight and extended magazine plates that increase magazine capacity. He also bought a Glock firing pin safety designed to reduce trigger pull force.
Court documents reveal that Herd El followed the sovereign citizen ideology, which is often anti-government and anti-authority. On November 26, 2020, he traveled from Dorchester to the Ruggles MBTA station where he was searched under a warrant. Authorities found him with a loaded semi-automatic pistol, spare magazines, ammunition rounds, and other items like an infrared camera.
Further searches at his residence uncovered more incriminating materials such as armor-piercing rounds and tools capable of manufacturing ammunition. Drawings related to firearms were displayed on his apartment walls along with notes on making explosives.
Herd El's previous convictions in 2004 for possessing firearms without permits prohibit him from owning firearms or ammunition. The law stipulates up to ten years imprisonment for these charges along with supervised release and potential fines.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy alongside Jodi Cohen from the FBI's Boston Field Division. The investigation received support from various agencies including the Boston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Beck and Timothy Kistner are leading the prosecution with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff.
