Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to 3rd Firearm Offense

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Christopher Rene, 26, of Providence, pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rene was arrested by Providence Police on February 4, 2016. It was the third time Rene had been arrested on firearm charges.

Rene’s guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr., and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in New England.

According to court records, at the time of his arrest in February Rene was on federal supervised release and state probation. In August 2009, Rene was convicted in state court on drug trafficking and firearm charges. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, 6 months to serve and 78 months of probation.  In a separate matter, in March 2011, Rene was convicted in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On February 10, 2015, while on federal supervised release and state probation, Rene was among 35 individuals arrested during a series of investigations into violent crimes in Providence as part of the Rhode Island Urban Violent Crime Initiative.  Based on information gathered by law enforcement, Rene was arrested for violating the terms of his federal supervised release. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison and an additional 30 months of federal supervised release.

According to state court documents, in February 2016, during an investigation into drug trafficking in Providence, Providence Police seized 41 bags of crack cocaine and .40 caliber handgun from vehicles accessed by Rene. Rene was detained shortly after he exited one vehicle and placed the handgun in the second vehicle.

Rene is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on February 15, 2017.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by the Providence Police Department with the assistance of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for their assistance in this matter.

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Contact:

Jim Martin (401) 709-5357

email: USARI.Media@usdoj.gov

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