Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Offense

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 in federal court in Boston in connection with his illegal possession of ammunition.

Syrus Hampton, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for May 18, 2022. Hampton was charged federally in May 2019.

On Jan. 25, 2019, Hampton was arrested after police officers recovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with no serial number, which contained 21 rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition, after Hampton fled from a traffic stop.

Hampton was prohibited from possessing ammunition due to a prior felony conviction punishable by more than one year in prison.

The charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Hampton is enrolled in the Court-run RISE (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge) program, designed to aid in the rehabilitation of applicable defendants who have pleaded guilty and are under pretrial supervision prior to sentencing. Their sentence is dependent upon their completion of the program and is determined at a later time. 

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.