Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

Lawrence Rutherford, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2023. Rutherford was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2019. 

On June 5, 2019, two guns and more than 600 rounds of ammunition were found in Rutherford’s home while executing a federal search warrant. Rutherford is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in person. 

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.    

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.