Providence Felon Sentenced To Federal Prison On Firearm Charge, Violating Supervised Release

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sarunn N. Phan, 28, of Providence, was sentenced today to 45 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for violating the terms of federal supervised release on a previous conviction on a federal firearm charge, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi sentenced Phan to 30 months imprisonment to be followed by 3 years supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm; and a consecutive sentence of 15 months in prison for violating the terms of federal supervised release on a previous federal firearm conviction. In June 2009, Phan was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Phan will begin serving his federal sentence after completing a two-year sentence that he is currently serving at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections for violating the terms of his state probation on a 2006 conviction for receiving stolen property over $1,500.

According to information presented to the court, late in the evening of April 9, 2014, Providence Police responded to shots fired in the vicinity of Oakland and Dickens Street. Responding officers found eleven .9mm shell casings on the ground and noticed a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the vicinity. About an hour later, officers observed the same vehicle at Douglas Avenue and Eaton Street. The officers affected a traffic stop after observing a traffic violation.

While pulling in behind the vehicle, officers observed an individual in a rear passenger seat toss a large black box into the rear cargo area. Upon arriving at the vehicle, the officers observed an open box with a firearm inside in the rear cargo area. Upon further inspection, officers discovered a .9mm handgun with an empty magazine. They also located a black plastic bag with ten .380mm rounds and a Glock 40 caliber magazine with 8 rounds of ammunition.

According to information presented to the court, Phan admitted to the police that the weapon was his, and he told officers, “It was self-defense.” Phan claimed to police that he had been shot at earlier in the evening.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted Providence Police in the investigation of this matter.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.

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