BOSTON – A Dorchester man previously convicted of state firearm charges pleaded guilty yesterday to illegal possession of a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition.
Michael King, a/k/a “Rugga”, 30, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper deferred acceptance of the plea until sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2022. Lee was indicted in March 2021.
On Dec. 18, 2020, King possessed a Smith & Wesson, Model 442 Airweight, .38 caliber revolver, loaded with five rounds of .38 caliber ammunition. King is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.
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 statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz; and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrisey 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.