BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for drug and firearm offenses.
Pablo L. Rivera, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On May 14, 2021, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Rivera was arrested on state charges on Feb. 8, 2019, after a motor vehicle stop in which law enforcement recovered a loaded P-38 Walther 9mm firearm, six rounds of ammunition, drug paraphernalia, and a plastic baggie containing approximately 10 grams of heroin from the vehicle Rivera was driving. Rivera is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in prison, including a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Greg Friedholm of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
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.