Pawtucket man sentenced to 9 years in state prison for possessing 20 ghost guns, large-capacity magazine, and drug trafficking
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Pawtucket man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve nine years at the Adult Correctional Institutions after pleading to for possessing 20 ghost guns, a large capacity magazine, and drug trafficking offenses following an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) into drug trafficking in the greater Providence area.
On February 8, 2024, at a hearing before Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers, the defendant, Ferdinando Lombardi (age 56) pleaded nolo contendere to one count of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm while possessing with intent to deliver cocaine, one count of possession of a firearm after being previously convicted of a crime of violence, one count of possession of a ghost gun, and one count of possession of a large capacity magazine. At the hearing, the Court sentenced the defendant to 15 years with nine years to serve at the ACI, and a six-year suspended sentence with 15 years of probation.
“Keeping guns out of the hands of those convicted of violent crime is crucial to making sure our communities are safe from gun violence,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This defendant had two-dozen guns in his possession and 137 tablets of fentanyl, all of which are potentially deadly, making him a major threat to public safety. I am grateful to the Rhode Island State Police for their excellent work in this case and their help in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant illegally possessed ghost guns, narcotics, and a large capacity magazine.
In March 2023, RISP investigators and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force officers began investigating the defendant as someone they suspected of being involved in drug trafficking in the greater Providence area. Investigators conducted surveillance of the defendant’s home on Windmill Street in Pawtucket, observing behavior consistent with drug trafficking.
On March 28, 2023, at approximately 10:30 a.m., RISP and HIDTA investigators executed a court authorized search warrant at the defendant’s home. At that time, investigators apprehended the defendant in his driveway before entering the home. Investigators then searched the defendant’s home and seized approximately 137 fentanyl tablets, approximately 9.23 grams of cocaine, 24 guns, including 20 Polymer80 ghost guns, 12 Polymer80 ghost gun lower kits, seven Polymer80 ghost gun upper assemblies, a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver, a Colt .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun, an Iver Johnson .38 caliber revolver, an Iver Johnson double action .22LR revolver, gun assembly tools, assorted gun parts, a large-capacity magazine, various pistol magazines, hundreds of rounds of various calibers of ammunition, narcotics packaging material, digital scales, and approximately $7,521 in cash.
“Through continued partnership between our local and state law enforcement agencies we are able to effectively disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics and firearms throughout Rhode Island," said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. “I commend the Rhode Island State Police detectives and the Office of the Attorney General for their work on this case, and I applaud their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”
Special Assistant Attorneys General Daniel Hopkins and Alec Lengyel of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Corporal Chris O’Connors and Detective Justin Andreozzi of the Rhode Island State Police led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
