BOSTON – A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug and firearm offenses.
Brandon Ortiz, 25, of Manchester, N.H., pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 27, 2022.
On June 6, 2019, law enforcement responded to a 911 call about a motor vehicle incident involving a firearm. During the investigation, officers seized fentanyl, cocaine, a loaded semi-automatic pistol and ammunition from Ortiz. Ortiz is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to a prior 2018 domestic violence conviction.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of possession of a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence 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.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; and Lawrence Police Chief Roy P. Vasque made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ 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.