DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Massachusetts

For Immediate Release

Thursday, October 3, 2019
Andrew E. Lelling
, United States Attorney
Contact: Christina DiIorio-Sterling

Worcester Man Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

BOSTON – A Worcester man was indicted today for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Lawrence Rutherford, 37, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Rutherford was arrested on Sept. 6, 2019, and charged by criminal complaint.

According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, law enforcement agents found two guns and more than 600 rounds of ammunition in Rutherford’s home while executing a search warrant. Rutherford is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishable by more than one year in person.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $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 Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Boston Field Division