BOSTON – A Boston man previously convicted of drug distribution pleaded guilty today to illegal possession of a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition.
Shaquille Lee, 29, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2022. Lee was indicted in July 2021.
In April 2021, there was an active warrant for Lee’s arrest as a suspect in a February 2021 shooting in Canton involving a car crash and Lee allegedly firing approximately five rounds at another vehicle’s occupant. That case is currently pending in Plymouth Superior Court. On April 23, 2021, a search of Lee’s apartment found him in possession of a Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, loaded with 13 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition. Lee was also found in possession of an additional 18 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in a nearby extended firearm magazine. Lee is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a 2018 state conviction of distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, a Class B substance.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz; and Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley, Jr. of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as 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.