Brockton Man Sentenced for Firearm and Ammunition Offense

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. 

Nicholas Mendes, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to 80 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On March 22, 2022, Mendes pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

On the evening of May 21, 2020, local police responded to a report of possible gunshots in Brockton. At the scene, officers found a parked vehicle with three occupants inside, one of whom was Mendes sitting in the driver’s seat, and the passenger door open. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a FN Model 509, 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a partially obliterated serial number tucked directly under the driver seat where Mendes was sitting. The semi-automatic firearm was loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition – including one round in the chamber. At the time, Mendes was on state probation with electronic monitoring.

Mendes is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to prior convictions that include intimidation, possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, narcotics offenses and assault and battery.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Rollins’ Major Crime Unit prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.