Joshua S. Levy, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
A Boston man has admitted guilt in a case involving the illegal possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Tyrone Goforth, aged 44, entered a guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The plea was made before U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin, who has set the sentencing date for April 8, 2025. Goforth faced indictment by a federal grand jury in October 2020.
The incident occurred on July 31, 2020, when officers responded to reports of an individual with a gun at a bookstore in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Goforth matched the description provided—a man wearing a black shirt and olive pants—and was found carrying a Sig Sauer P938 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with five rounds of ammunition. Due to his prior conviction in Suffolk Superior Court dating back to 2000, Goforth is legally barred from possessing firearms.
The law under which Goforth is charged allows for a sentence of up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine reaching $250,000. Sentencing decisions are made by federal district court judges based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley from the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is handling the prosecution.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched an enhanced strategy to reduce violent crime as part of PSN's efforts focused on building community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence prevention organizations, prioritizing strategic enforcement actions, and evaluating outcomes.
