Lynn Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Drug & Firearms Charges
Saturday, December 21, 2024, 7:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BOSTON, MA. On Friday, December 20, 2024, Jose Perez, 27, of Lynn, Massachusetts, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor to 142 months in federal prison, immediately followed by three years of supervised release, for his convictions on federal narcotics and firearms offenses.
In August 2024, Perez was convicted by a jury following a five-day trial in federal court of one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances; and one count of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Perez was initially arrested and federally charged in January 2023, along with his co-defendant, Henry Del Rio.
According to U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and charging documents filed with the court, in December 2022, members of the Lexington Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Perez that was speeding through the streets of Lexington, Massachusetts.
Instead of complying with Police Officers and pulling over, Perez accelerated and engaged in a high-speed attempt to evade Police Officers, traveling exceeding speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour on residential streets, crashing head-on into another vehicle, and ultimately losing control of the car and crashing into a post.
As Perez exited the vehicle, a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun dropped to the ground. Perez and his passenger, Del Rio, fled on foot, leading Police Officers on a foot pursuit through a Stop and Shop parking lot. After Police Officers apprehended Perez and Del Rio, Perez was found with over $2,000 in cash in his pockets. Police Officers also recovered a bag of cocaine and a bag containing 44 smaller individual doses of fentanyl in the area where Del Rio had run, as well as a bag of cocaine in the Perez’s vehicle.
At the time of these offenses, Perez was on supervised release in connection with two prior federal convictions, one in 2017 for engaging in illegal firearms trafficking and one in 2020 for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and a felon in possession of a firearm. Given Perez’s prior convictions, he is prohibited from possessing the Glock he had at the time of his arrest.
In May 2024, Del Rio pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Del Rio is currently awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for January 2025.
