Marion man pleads guilty to possession of illegal firearms
More than two years after he was found in illegal possession of a revolver, a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition, Jeffrey Tosca Jr. of Marion has plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston.
Tosca, 32, plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and to possession of an unregistered firearm, according to a release from the Department of Justice.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 31.
Tosca was originally arrested on the evening of Sept. 14, 2013 after he threatened to shoot law enforcement and others from his home in Marion.
The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Special Weapons and Tactics team arrived at the Tosca home around 10 p.m. after the man's mother called Marion Police about disturbing phone calls she received from her son.
Tosca's parents were out of town at the time, but according to court documents, Tosca's mother, Paula Tosca, said her son “threatened to put a bullet in his father’s head.”
Following the call to police, the SWAT team secured the exterior of the home to apprehend Tosca, who has faced previous charges related to drugs, firearm possession and assault.
Law enforcement surrounded the house, trying to make contact with Tosca. They eventually sent in a remote controlled robot with a video camera to check the interior of the home, finding Tosca asleep. He was arrested soon after.
Officers also seized weapons and ammunition discovered in a storage container buried on the grounds of the residence.
Once in jail, Tosca claimed he had no memory of the events that lead to his arrest due to use of the drug Klonopin.
According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, this was not Tosca's first run in with authorities. He has been convicted on multiple criminal charges before, including 2012 and 2010 convictions on state weapons charges, a 2010 conviction for possession of narcotics, knowingly receiving stolen property and resisting arrest, and convictions in 2005 and 2006 for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The charging statutes provide a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, according to the Department of Justice.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Daniel J. Kumor, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today about Tosca's case on Tuesday.
The Marion Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus and Mary B. Murrane of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.