Brockton man charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition

A Brockton man was arrested Friday and charged in federal court in Boston with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Dwayne Leaston-Brown, 28, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell today and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.

According to the indictment unsealed today, on Sept. 8, 2018, Leaston-Brown, who was previously convicted of a felony, possessed a Kahr Arms CM9 9mm semi-automatic pistol and six Luger 9mm cartridge while in Boston.

The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Lawrence Panetta, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case 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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.