Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm and Drug Offenses

BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to firearm and drug charges.

Kawana Tillman, 47, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2020. Tillman was arrested on April 30, 2019, and has been in custody since.

On March 10, 2018, Tillman was illegally in possession of a Glock, Model 26, 9mm semi-automatic handgun and three rounds of 9mm ammunition. Tillman has prior felony drug conspiracy and firearm convictions, and is therefore prohibited from possession firearms and ammunition. On March 19, 2018, and April 30, 2019, Tillman was in possession of various amounts of cocaine base.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.