This past Wednesday, Ricardo Calvo of Worcester was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The defense was looking for a seventy seven month prison sentence based on his lawyer’s representation that Calvo had a history of substance abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse since he was a child. According to defense counsel Victoria Bonilla, Calvo was introduced to drugs by his father at the age of 12. The prosecution argued that the defendant’s lengthy criminal history was reason enough not to depart from the 15 year mandatory minimum sentence.
The defendant was arrested in December of 2005 along with sixty other people as part of a federal crime sweep. When he was apprehended police found him in possession of a .22 caliber pistol, magazine and ammunition.
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Calvo was most likely charged with a violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g) making it a crime for anyone who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year to possess a firearm. The sentence associated with a conviction of this crime is a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. So, for Calvo to have been sentenced to 15 years there must have been an armed career criminal enhancement. To be enhanced the defendant in this case must have been convicted of three prior felonies for serious drugs or violence.
Victoria Bonilla is an excellent experienced Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer who unquestionably did a great job for her client. The federal courts are a tough place to defend people accused of committing crimes. The defense victories are difficult to come by and success in this forum is a relative term.
Our office defends people accused of all crimes in state and federal courts in Massachusetts and many other states. If you are charged with a crime such as these you should hire an experienced Massachusetts Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer to defend you. Our phone lines are answered 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Call us now at 617-263-6800 or contact us online.