Feds: Mattapan Man Busted in Fall River Heading to Prison

A Mattapan resident arrested in Fall River last year was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Christian Teixeira, 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs and was sentenced to 43 months in prison and three years of supervised release, the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling announced.

In May of 2019, Teixeira was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Massachusetts State Police at Dwelly and Tuttle Streets. Officers found a black pouch in the car where Teixeira was sitting that contained a loaded semi-automatic handgun with defaced serial numbers. Police also found a bag of additional ammunition, gloves, and a ski mask. At the time, state police were working with the FBI to nab the alleged "repeat firearms violator."

Police that day confiscated a KAHR PM9 9mm semi-automatic handgun and 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Teixeira had a prior felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition. He was on probation out of Suffolk County on a gun charge and had three prior convictions for illegal firearm possession, prosecutors previously said.

Lelling joined Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Fall River Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza in making today's announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a DOJ program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone, Lelling's office said.