News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
Peter F. Neronha
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
May 3, 2012
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Kareem Williams, 36, of Providence, an armed career criminal convicted by a federal court jury in January 2012 of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Cranston Police Chief Colonel Marco Palombo, Jr.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith also ordered Williams to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Williams was previously convicted in state court of five felonies, including drug trafficking and robbery.
At trial, evidence was presented to a jury that shortly after midnight on June 20, 2011, a Cranston police officer responded to a dispatch to investigate a report of suspicious activity. In responding to the call, the officer located two occupied vehicles parked one behind the other.
As the officer pulled up behind the vehicles and activated his lights, one of the vehicles sped away and the other began to travel in reverse then forward, striking the officer’s vehicle. The officer exited his vehicle, drew his weapon and ordered the two females in the front seat and the lone male passenger in the rear seat to raise their hands. The female occupants complied. However, the rear passenger, Kareem Williams, at first refused the instructions and made several movements towards the center of the back seat. Williams was again ordered several times by the officer to raise his hands. He complied but not before leaning over to the center of the vehicle one last time.
After more officers arrived the vehicle was cleared of the occupants and searched. Officers seized two loaded firearms, a .38 caliber revolver and .45 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, from an area between the rear seat and the trunk area where Mr. Williams was devoting his attention prior to exiting the vehicle.
During an interview with Cranston Police, Williams gave a recorded statement in which he admitted that he went with the two women and four men who escaped in the second vehicle to Cranston to rob a drug dealer. Williams accurately described both weapons.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Terrence P. Donnelly. The matter was investigated by Cranston Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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Contact: 401-709-5357
USARI.Media@usdoj.gov
