South Yarmouth Resident Pleads Guilty to Felon in Possession of Firearm Charge

BOSTON – A South Yarmouth man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court for possessing a firearm. Defendant barricaded himself in basement following domestic disturbance.

Michael Giampapa, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns who scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18, 2024. 

On March 16, 2022, local police responded to a call reporting a domestic disturbance at a residence in South Yarmouth involving Giampapa and a family member. Giampapa was barricaded in the basement when police arrived. He spoke by phone with a family member and during that call, stated he has a gun. After a standoff with law enforcement, Giampapa eventually exited the residence and was arrested.

Following a search of the residence where Giampapa was staying a Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard loaded .380 handgun was recovered inside a cereal box that was on top of open shelving in the basement. Giampapa had previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

The firearm charge provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a period of three years of supervised release as well as a $250,000 fine. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Chief Kevin Lennon of the Yarmouth Police Department made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit. 

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.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian..