A Fitchburg man with a criminal record is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to firearm possession, the U.S. Attorney's Office proclaimed Thursday. Satron Pridgen, 46, admitted guilt over illegal possession of a firearm and ammo by a convicted felon, as per a statement by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman, who will preside over his sentencing on August 22, 2024.
Pridgen's latest run-in with the law occurred outside Mill City Pub in Fitchburg on Sept. 16, when, according to law enforcement, an altercation escalated leading Pridgen to choke and then pistol-whip another man with a loaded gun, after an altercation, Pridgen reportedly tried to dispose of the weapon near a dumpster before the cops nabbed him. He was indicted by a federal grand jury back in November 2023.
With a rap sheet including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed assault with intent to rob, and drug distribution, Pridgen has been down this road before, twice sentenced to nearly a decade or more in state prison and prohibited from handling firearms and ammunition. The charge against him carries the possibility of a hefty 15-year stint behind federal bars, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000.
Authorities, including Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Division James M. Ferguson and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau, all spoke out on the case which is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program initiated to strike at the heart of gun violence and violent crime through a collaborative effort by law enforcement at every level and neighborhood entities aiming to make communities feel secure once again.
