Gang Member Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Offense #ProjectSafeNeighborhoods

A Boston man affiliated with the Vine/Forest Street and Orchard Park gangs pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Quantae Elmore, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Oct. 10, 2019. Elmore was arrested and charged federally in July 2018 and has been in custody since.

On May 4, 2018, police officers encountered Elmore with a loaded firearm in his waistband on Zeigler Street in the Orchard Gardens neighborhood, in the company of other Vine/Forest Street and Orchard Park gang members. Elmore had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison and was therefore prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.