News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
Peter F. Neronha
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
February 11, 2011
PROVIDENCE FELON PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL FIREARM CHARGE
Ballistics test ties firearm retrieved to Providence homicide
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Providence man previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Friday to again being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jameel Z. Greene, 29, was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest in August 2010.
Greene’s guilty plea, which was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, was announced by U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Guy H. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); and Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare.
At today’s change of plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose told the court that on August 7, 2010, around 1:00 a.m., members of the Providence Police Department gang unit saw the defendant in a group and he appeared to be armed. The officers approached him and were taunted by a hostile crowd of onlookers. Before officers could check the defendant for a weapon he ran into the crowd.
During the chase, Greene dropped a weapon to the ground which was picked up by one of the pursuing officers. A mounted police officer and his mount, “B.A.D. Boy” cornered Greene, and he was apprehended by a police officer as he tried to climb a fence. A struggle ensued and one of the pursuing officers was injured.
The seized weapon, a Sig Sauer .9mm, was loaded with 13 hollow point rounds. The weapon was reported stolen from East Providence. A test fire and ballistics examination of the weapon concluded that it was the weapon that fired the shots that killed Paulo Jorge Barbosa on July 12, 2010, outside of Club Balloons in Providence. There have been no arrests to date in connection with the murder.
Greene, who remains detained, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2011.
The matter was investigated by Providence Police and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
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Contact: 401-709-5357
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