Chicopee Man Sentenced for Being Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, Including Machine Gun

BOSTON – A Chicopee man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, including a machine gun.

Hector Gomez, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2020, Gomez pleaded guilty to being a felon in firearms and ammunition and to possession of an unregistered firearm. Gomez was also sentenced to an additional consecutive sentence of 20 months for violating the terms of his supervised release.

On May 18, 2019 in Chicopee, Gomez was in possession of a Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle, an Arsenal 7.62 mm rifle, 14 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, 28 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition and 60 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. Gomez is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a prior conviction punishable by at least one year incarceration.

At the time he possessed the firearms and ammunition, Gomez was on supervised release for a 2015 conviction in federal court for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute heroin.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Chicopee Police Chief William R. Jebb made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of Lelling’s Springfield Office prosecuted the case.