Springfield Felon Pleads Guilty In Firearm Threats Case

BOSTON – A Springfield man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Springfield to illegally possessing a firearm.

Jamel Bolden, 21, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition after being previously convicted of a felony. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Jan. 28, 2015.

On June 3, 2013, during a dispute with his mother and his stepfather, Bolden brandished a Ruger Single Six .22 Magnum caliber revolver and told stepfather that he would “lay him down.” Bolden had been previously convicted of three counts of armed robbery and was currently on probation for these offenses. After Bolden’s mother and stepfather reported the incident, Bolden fled, narrowly escaping the police. On June 7, 2013, Bolden was arrested at his girlfriend’s home. After the arrest, local law enforcement officials executed a search warrant for an automobile used by his girlfriend, and they recovered the revolver loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Federal agents later executed another search warrant for his girlfriend’s cell phone and recovered a photograph of Bolden posing with the revolver.

According to terms of the plea agreement, Bolden has also agreed to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in a related case in Hampden Superior Court.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000. 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, Boston Field Office, and Springfield Police Department Commissioner John Barbieri made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Ortiz's Springfield Branch Office.