Pawtucket Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal Prison on Drug and Firearm Charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Graviel Santos, 32, of Pawtucket, was sentenced on Wednesday to 84 months in federal prison on drug trafficking and firearm charges, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Pawtucket Police Chief Paul King.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi also ordered Santos to serve three years’ supervised release upon completion of his prison term and to pay a fine of $1,000. Santos pleaded guilty in April 2014 to one count each of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to information presented to the court by the government at the time of Santos’ guilty plea, in November 2013, members of the Pawtucket Police Special Squad completed an investigation into drug trafficking activities from an apartment where Santos and his girlfriend resided. Detectives conducted a court authorized search of the apartment on November 4, 2013, during which time they seized nearly 25 grams of heroin, 3 grams of crack cocaine, a loaded .45 caliber handgun and numerous items used in the packaging and distribution of illegal drugs.

The firearm was located inside a bin containing men’s clothing, within easy reach of the defendant who was lying on a couch when detectives entered the apartment.

According to information presented to the court, the defendant previously was convicted in Rhode Island state court on drug and domestic violence charges.

Santos has been detained since his arrest on November 4, 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela E. Chin.

ATF and DEA agents assisted Pawtucket detectives in the investigation of this matter.

Felon Sentenced to 41 Months For His Role in A Firearms Straw Purchasing/Trafficking Investigation

EUGENE, Ore. – On October 1, 2014, Charles Thornton, 39 years old, of Patterson, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Ann Aiken to 41 months in federal prison for his role in a firearms straw purchasing and trafficking investigation. Upon his release from prison, Thornton will be on supervised release for three years.

In August 2008, Thornton, a felon and crack cocaine dealer, recruited a woman named Eleanor Arceneaux, a crack cocaine customer of his, to buy firearms for him from various firearms dealers in southern Oregon. Thornton needed others to buy firearms because, as a felon, he was prohibited from doing so. Purchases of guns in this manner, where the actual purchaser conceals his involvement from the seller of the firearm, are commonly known as “straw purchases.” Firearms straw-purchasing offenses are particularly reprehensible because those firearms often end up in the hands of people who are not lawfully allowed to possess them and regularly end up being used in violent crimes.

Over the next few months, Arceneaux acted as a straw-purchaser in purchasing approximately 35 firearms for Thornton and others. During the transactions involving Thornton, he gave Arceneaux the money to purchase the firearms, accompanied her to the firearms dealers, instructed her which firearms to purchase, and compensated her with crack cocaine. At least several of the firearms purchased during this scheme surfaced at crime scenes in the Oakland, California area shortly after purchase.

After being federally charged, Thornton pled guilty to three counts of making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms and three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Arceneaux, for her part, pled guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms and nine counts of making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, and was sentenced earlier this year to five years of probation.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Lichvarcik.

Fremont Man Faces Firearms Charge

An information was filed against Timothy J. Miller, age 30, of Fremont, Ohio, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The information charges Miller with possession of two silencers and an AR-15 firearm that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, and the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Hood and Gene Crawford.