BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Nicholas Mendes, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris, who scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2022. Mendes was charged by criminal complaint in October 2020.
On the evening of May 21, 2020, police responded to a report of possible gunshots. At the scene, officers found a parked vehicle with three occupants inside and the passenger door open. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a FN Model 509, 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a partially obliterated serial number tucked under the driver seat where Mendes was sitting. The firearm was loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition – including one round in the chamber. At the time, Mendes was on state probation with electronic monitoring.
Mendes is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to three prior convictions of intimidation, possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license. Mendes also had previous arrests for firearm and narcotics offenses.
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 & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Brockton Police Acting Chief Steve Williamson, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Rollins’ Major Crime Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.