Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution
BOSTON – A Heath Street gang member who was previously convicted of a felony pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm.
Kendrick Tate, a/k/a “K-Roc,” 25, of Chelsea, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of cocaine base and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Oct. 25, 2018. Tate has been serving a state sentence for unrelated drug and gun convictions.
On subsequent days in April 2017, Tate sold a cooperating witness crack cocaine and a firearm with a partially obliterated serial number. Although Tate has been identified by law enforcement as a member of the Heath Street Gang, he was living in Chelsea at the time of these sales.
According to court documents, Tate was convicted in state court in November 2017 of unrelated drug and firearm charges and is presently serving a 3 ½ - 4-year sentence. Tate was also previously convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon on two occasions, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, assault and battery on a police officer, and possession to distribute a Class B substance on two occasions.
Following a two-year investigation, Tate and eight co-defendants were charged in January 2018 in connection with illegal drug distribution and firearm possession within and near the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development. The investigation and arrests sought to reduce violence and improve the quality of life for residents in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments by removing individuals who trafficked drugs and who were actively involved in violence and gang disputes.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today. Assistance was also provided by the Boston Housing Authority’s Department of Police and Public Safety.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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