BOSTON, MA – Benjamin Hunter-Blake, 25, of Springfield, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for multiple firearms offenses. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni sentenced Hunter-Blake to 114 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.
In April 2024, Hunter-Blake pleaded guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of a machine gun, and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm (a silencer).
On January 27, 2023, during a search of Hunter-Blake’s Springfield residence, law enforcement seized five pistols, including a .40 caliber pistol with an attached “Glock switch” machine gun conversion device, an assault rifle-style pistol with a silencer and a high-capacity drum magazine containing 22 rounds of ammunition. Authorities also recovered four additional Glock switches, a large collection of ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and other firearms-related items. Hunter-Blake’s mobile phone contained evidence of him obtaining and distributing firearms, including Glock switches, to other individuals, including at least one person with a felony conviction.
Hunter-Blake had been previously convicted twice in state court on firearms felonies and was under indictment and house arrest for a third state firearms case at the time of the federal offenses.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division, announced the sentencing. Valuable assistance was provided by the Springfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
