PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was sentenced yesterday in Providence County Superior Court to serve seven years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for possessing a loaded firearm, after having previously been convicted of assault with a firearm in 2016.
Anthony Reed (age 23), pleaded nolo contendere to one count of possession of a firearm after previously being convicted of a crime of violence and one count of carrying a pistol without a license.
At Thursday’s hearing before Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers, Reed was sentenced to serve seven years at the ACI, followed by a consecutive eight-year suspended sentence with probation.
“Illegal firearms in the hands of people like the defendant here pose a very real threat to residents of neighborhoods everywhere,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This defendant, having now been convicted of multiple illegal firearms offenses, deserves every day of the long sentence he has justifiably received.”
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on November 2, 2019, Reed was in possession of a loaded .40 caliber Glock pistol that he carried in a backpack.
Providence Police pursued Reed on foot after he fled from officers who approached Reed and a small group of individuals. Reed was found hiding behind bushes outside of a residence shortly thereafter. His backpack, along with the pistol, was found discarded in nearby bushes.
In 2019, Reed pleaded nolo contendere to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm), one count of carrying a dangerous weapon while committing a crime of violence, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license, stemming from a 2016 incident in Providence where he threatened another individual with a revolver during a confrontation on the street.
Detective Matthew Pine and Patrolman Matthew Rousseau of the Providence Police Department led the investigation into the case. Special Assistant Attorney General Katelyn Revens prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on Donald Trump's claim he has absolute immunity on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election. The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts brought by special counsel Jack Smith, which include conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding. Trump's legal team argues the former president should have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for any official acts taken while in office. 
