Marion Man Pleads Guilty to Weapons Charges

BOSTON – On the morning his trial was slated to begin, a Marion, Mass., man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston to illegally possessing a revolver, a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition.

Jeffrey E. Tosca, Jr., 32, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and to possession of an unregistered firearm.  U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2016.

Late in the evening of September 14, 2013, Tosca made threats from his home in Marion to shoot members of law enforcement and others.  Law enforcement, including a SWAT team, quickly responded and took steps to secure the area.  Several hours later, law enforcement arrested Tosca without incident and seized weapons and ammunition discovered in a storage container buried on the grounds of his residence. 

Tosca has previously been convicted on multiple criminal charges, including 2012 and 2010 convictions on state weapons charges, a 2010 conviction for possession of narcotics, knowingly receiving stolen property and resisting arrest, and convictions in 2005 and 2006 for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. 

The charging statutes provide a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today.  The Marion Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus and Mary B. Murrane of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.