Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Southbridge Man Convicted of Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition
BOSTON - A Southbridge man was convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition yesterday in United States District Court in Worcester.
Mark McForbes, aka “S-Dot,” 33, was convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition after an eight-day jury trial. McForbes is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14, 2015.
On Aug. 29, 2014, McForbes and a cooperating witness negotiated the sale of firearms and ammunition in Southbridge. Later that evening, McForbes sold two loaded 9mm firearms to the cooperating witness at a Worcester residence. The jury convicted the defendant of possession of the two firearms and the ammunition contained therein. The jury acquitted McForbes of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. McForbes qualifies under federal law as an armed career criminal based upon prior criminal convictions.
The charging statute provides a sentence of up to life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Southbridge Police Chief Daniel Charette made the announcement today. The case was tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of United States Attorney Ortiz’s Worcester Branch Office. The investigation was initiated by the ATF and the Southbridge Police Department with assistance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and the Worcester Police Department.
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