Chelsea Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of Firearm

BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Semaj Leary, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to four years in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in November 2020 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Leary was indicted in December 2019.

On Aug. 15, 2019, Leary was found in possession of a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol, seven rounds of R-P 9mm caliber ammunition, four rounds of WIN 9mm caliber ammunition, two rounds of VPT 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of WCC 9mm caliber ammunition, one round of Tulammo 9mm caliber ammunition and an extra magazine. Leary was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes punishable by more than a year in jail, and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Mendell’s Criminal Division 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.