Source: United States Department of Justice News
BOSTON – A Holyoke man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield for illegal firearm possession.
Joseph Anthony Montaner-Vasquez, 25, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Montaner-Vasquez is currently in state custody and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, on May 25, 2022, Montaner-Vasquez was found in possession of a Glock 9-millimeter caliber pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition. Montaner-Vasquez was previously convicted of a felony and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $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 M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office 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.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.