Taunton Man Indicted for Federal Drug and Firearm Offenses

BOSTON — A Taunton man was indicted this week in federal court in Boston on firearm and drug charges.

Samael Mathieu, 23, was indicted on Wednesday, November 13 on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition while under indictment and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to court documents, on Oct. 1, 2019, Mathieu was arrested in Taunton in possession of approximately 30 grams of fentanyl, two 9mm semi-automatic handguns and 37 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Prior to this arrest, Mathieu was under indictment in Plymouth Superior Court for possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.

The charge of possessing a firearm and ammunition while under indictment provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Office; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh; and Fall River Police Chief Albert Dupere made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution 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.

— U.S. Attorney's Office