Attleboro Man Sentenced for Gun Trafficking
An Attleboro man has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Georgia to Massachusetts.
Federal prosecutors say 42-year old Richard Philippe was convicted in December, 2021 by a federal jury of transporting firearms into Massachusetts from Georgia without a license, and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Philippe was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston. He was previously convicted of illegal gun possession in Rhode Island.
Prosecutors say between April and June of 2019, Philippe purchased dozens of handguns from a straw purchaser in Georgia. He returned with the guns to a warehouse in Taunton where he sold them for cash.
An investigation began in July 2019 after an undercover purchase of two guns from a long-time Brockton drug dealer, who had purchased those guns and more than a dozen other weapons from Philippe.
The undercover operation then led to a search of Philippe's Taunton warehouse, which revealed Philippe's firearms trafficking.
Authorities say several guns that Philippe transported and sold were found by police in the possession of criminals and drug dealers. One gun trafficked by Philippe was used by a gang member to fire at rival associates at the Braintree Mall, but instead struck a 15-year-old girl, in the hand and in the chest. The victim survived.
Other guns were abandoned, such as one gun discovered in a pile of leaves in a parking lot in Taunton, loaded with 12 bullets.
Upon his release from prison, Philippe must serve three years of supervised release.
Information from U.S. Attorney's Office / District of Massachusetts
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