Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on January 11, 2022, Tahj McCormick, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 60 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of being a previously convicted felon found in possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered McCormick to serve a three (3) year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.  

According to court records and proceedings, on February 19, 2021, McCormick met with an undercover special agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives so McCormick could buy two guns from the undercover special agent.  McCormick paid $700 for the two guns at the meeting, and was taken into custody when he took possession of them.  When McCormick was searched incident to arrest, law enforcement discovered him to be in possession of another handgun.  At the time of his arrest, McCormick had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment of greater than one year. 

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives in the investigation and prosecution of McCormick.  U.S. Attorney Kerest also thanked the Vermont State Police, the Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department, the Holyoke, Massachusetts Police Department, and the Easthampton, Massachusetts Police Department, for their contributions to the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of McCormick.  Federal Public Defender Michael L. Desautels represented McCormick.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  https://www.justice.gov/psn