PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 8, 2007

Contact: William J. Smith (718) 556-7150
William.Smith@rcda.nyc.gov

1st Staten Island Illegal Gun Defendant Sentenced Under Joint Initiative With U.S. Attorney’s Office
***West Brighton Resident Tommy Rice, 36, Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison***

     STATEN ISLAND, NY - Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. today announced that the first defendant in an illegal firearm case has been sentenced as part of a new program between the Richmond County District Attorney’s office and the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The defendant Tommy Rice (1/18/1971), of DuBois Avenue, was sentenced Friday by Judge Eric N. Vitaliano in Brooklyn Federal Court to a term of 72 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release.

     “The war against illegal guns in this community is an ongoing effort,” stated District Attorney Donovan. “This partnership with the U.S. Attorney is yet another tool in our arsenal to combat those who would traffic in firearms. While Tommy Rice is the first to be sentenced in this effort, we currently have additional cases in the pipeline and will continue to seek the strongest possible penalties for these defendants.”

     Rice had been charged in Staten Island courts in August 2006 following a raid at his former Targee Street residence in which police recovered a loaded 9 mm pistol, a loaded .38 caliber revolver, as well as a quantity of cocaine and heroin. He was indicted in Richmond County State Supreme Court on charges of 2 felony counts each of criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd and 4th degrees, and a misdemeanor charge criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree.

     Following his rejection of a plea agreement in State Supreme Court, Rice’s case was accepted by the United States Attorney’s office for prosecution and he was later indicted by a federal grand jury. On November 3, 2006, Rice pleaded guilty to a violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) which makes it illegal for certain categories of persons to ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms.

     District Attorney Donovan announced in September 2006 that his office had entered into a partnership with the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to transfer eligible illegal gun cases to federal jurisdiction for the purpose of seeking stronger penalties under federal law.

     The case against Tommy Rice was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Naughton, a Richmond County Assistant District Attorney assigned to the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

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