Rhode Island Man With Ties to National Gang Sentenced for Narcotics and Firearms Offenses
BOSTON – A Rhode Island man with ties to the Almighty Vice Lords, a national street gang, was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for drug and firearm offenses.
Antoine Mack, 37, of Pawtucket, R.I., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In January 2020, Mack pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges against Mack arose from a drug and firearm investigation into the alleged leader of the Massachusetts chapter of the Almighty Vice Lords street gang and his associates. The investigation revealed that Mack delivered between 600-800 grams of powder cocaine and 200-300 grams of crack cocaine for the alleged gang leader from Worcester to Manchester, N.H., and transported cash payment for those drugs back to the alleged gang leader on several occasions. Law enforcement agents arrested Mack on May 25, 2019, in Worcester in possession of a loaded .380 caliber firearm.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ammunition, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester office prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
