Pawtucket Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Gun Charge

PROVIDENCE — A Pawtucket man faces five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Jonathan Reyes, 35, was pulled over by Pawtucket police on Oct. 14, 2020. Police found a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number in the car. Reyes is a convicted felon because of a drug trafficking conviction. His long criminal record also includes multiple arrests on domestic violence charges, court records show. It is a violation of federal law for a felon to possess a firearm.

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Pawtucket police made the original traffic stop because Reyes was not wearing a seatbelt and was driving an unregistered car with illegally attached out-of-state plates, police said. As Reyes was being placed under arrest, he attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended.

Appearing today before U.S. District Court William E. Smith, Reyes pleaded guilty to the federal gun charge, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Richard B. Myrus. A plea agreement recommends that Reyes be sentenced to a 60-month term in federal prison. Reyes will remain in custody until his sentencing on Aug. 20.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ly T. Chin and William J. Ferland. The matter was investigated by the Pawtucket Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.