News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
November 19, 2007
Felon sentenced to eight years for three guns
A federal judge has sentenced Richard Ribeiro, of Cumberland, to eight years in prison for illegally possessing three rifles. In July, a jury found Ribeiro guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms.
United States Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced the sentence, which U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith imposed on November 16 in U.S. District Court, Providence.
During the trial in July, Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee presented evidence that, on May 1, 2006, Cumberland Police and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a state-authorized search warrant at Ribeiro’s home on Macondary Street. They seized a 30-06 rifle in a crawl space. After interviewing Ribeiro at the Cumberland Police station, an ATF agent returned to Ribeiro’s home and seized two more long guns in another section of the crawl space: a 12 gauge shotgun and a .357 Magnum rifle. The agent also found .357 caliber ammunition in a dresser drawer.
Ribeiro, 59, has a prior felony narcotics conviction.