FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
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CHELSEA GANG LEADER CONVICTED ON FEDERAL FIREARM AND ASSAULT CHARGES
Boston, MA... A leader of the Latin Kings in Chelsea was convicted late Friday afternoon by a federal jury of being a felon in possession of ammunition, assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks; Daniel Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney, Glenn N. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Boston Field Division; Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division; Colonel Mark F. Delaney, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Brian A. Kyes, Chief of the Chelsea Police Department, announced today that PASCUAL LUNA, age 24, of Chelsea, MA, was convicted by a jury sitting before United States District Court Judge Rya Zobel of being a felon in possession of ammunition, assaulting a federal officer and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
Evidence presented at the five-day trial showed that LUNA was an influential member of the Latin Kings in Chelsea. On May 1, 2007, during a crowded parade in Chelsea, LUNA, who had several state warrants pending, was in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson revolver. LUNA fled when Chelsea Police officers attempted to arrest him and during the chase, LUNA shot at two Chelsea Police officers, one of whom was also a Special Federal Officer with the FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force. LUNA was eventually captured shortly after the shooting. Federal law makes it a crime to assault a federal officer while he is engaged in official federal duties.
Judge Zobel scheduled sentencing for August 18, 2009. As an Armed Career Criminal under federal law, who discharged a firearm in connection with a crime of violence, LUNA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life and a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 25 years.
The case was investigated by the Chelsea Police Department, Everett Police Department, MBTA Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Massachusetts State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Levitt in Louck’s Strike Force Unit.
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