DRUG DEALER CONVICTED ON GUN CHARGE

PROVIDENCE -- A convicted drug dealer was found guilty by a federal jury on
Dec. 16 on a charge that he illegally bought two handguns from an East
Providence gun shop.

Lenard Gibson, 28, of 301 Cranston St., was arrested in September after he
arranged to have someone else apply for the handguns so he could buy them.
Gibson has several drug-trafficking convictions, and he now faces a minimum
15-year prison sentence as an armed career criminal.

The jury reached a verdict after two and a half hours of deliberation and a
two-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi.

During the trial, assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose presented
evidence that Gibson went to E.P. Firearms Inc., in East Providence in
September and placed a deposit on a pistol.

He told the store owner that he couldn't legally buy the gun himself, but
he would have someone else fill out the application for him, according to
the U.S. Attorney's office. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives was notified and monitored the rest of the transaction.

Gibson went to the store the next day with someone who filled out
applications for a Glock .45 caliber pistol and a Bryco .380 caliber
pistol. When the seven-day waiting period was over on Sept. 16, the other
person wasn't available, so Gibson went to the store to pick up the guns.

He was arrested by ATF agents when he left the store with the guns.

Usually, the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a
maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. However,
because of Gibson's convictions, prosecutors recommend that he be sentenced
as an armed career criminal, which carries a 15-year minimum sentence.

Sentencing guidelines are based on such factors as the nature of an offense
and a defendant's criminal background.

Gibson has been held at the Wyatt Federal Detention Center in Central Falls
since his arrest. He will be sentenced on April 1.