A Medford man with a rap sheet was slapped with a five-year prison sentence for toting ammunition, after admitting his role in a wild shooting spree that left a quiet Everett neighborhood riddled with bullets.
Luis Rivera, 26, got the tough federal time for being a felon in possession of ammunition following a January melee that saw more than 20 shots fired, hitting multiple houses, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced. The court handed down the sentence on March 29, 2024, in what authorities hope will send a clear message to those tempted to skirt federal gun laws.
During the chaos on January 2, 2022, Rivera, with prior convictions on his record, was one of three people identified unleashing a barrage of gunfire, an act that Everett's top cop, and federal agents, say put innocent lives at grave risk.
Owing to his prior record, Rivera can't legally own firearms or the bullets they fire, but he confessed to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition earlier this year. "Luis Rivera was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to five years in prison and three years of supervised release," the statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Other law enforcement chiefs, such as Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie and Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton were also part of the announcement, alongside Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, front man for the ATF in Boston.
The case was spearheaded by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hoefle from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit. While Rivera will now face a lengthy stretch behind bars, it's noted that the details in the indictment are merely allegations. Another defendant, still facing trial is presumed innocent, until proven guilty in the eyes of the law.
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