A Boston man with a criminal past has once again found himself on the wrong side of the law, as a federal jury found him guilty of possessing a loaded firearm as a previously convicted felon.
King Belin, 38, of Hyde Park, was convicted yesterday of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. On a December 2020 evening, when Belin failed to yield at an intersection, nearly colliding with another car, he was pulled over by law enforcement who discovered during the stop a loaded Smith & Wesson on Belin, who then tried to flee, but was promptly apprehended.
Belin had already served time for a previous firearm possession offense dating back to 2015, where he was sentenced to over five years in prison. The repeat offender also had faced charges in 2010 for carrying a loaded firearm without a license, which landed him 18 months behind bars, plus probation. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton is scheduled to sentence Belin on May 23, with the current charges carrying the potential for up to 10 years in prison, and a hefty fine reaching $250,000.
The case is part of a broader initiative known as Project Safe Neighborhoods, aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. "Supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place," the program also focuses on fostering trust within the community, establishing strategic enforcement priorities, and tracking the results of these efforts, as reported in the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Dawley and Benjamin A. Tolkoff of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are leading the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods functions as a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, striving to craft a safer environment for all residents. Its success hinges on the implementation of a violent crime reduction strategy, which was fortified on May 26, 2021, by the Department of Justice. As crime continues to pose a threat, the initiative and cases such as Belin's reflect the ongoing commitment to maintaining law and order.
