Johnston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charges

PROVIDENCE - A Johnston man pleaded guilty in federal court today to federal firearms charges related to his possession of unregistered firearm silencers.

Alessio Dandrea, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 11, 2027. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Each count of possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000.

According to court documents, on June 14, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a parcel shipped from China and addressed to Dandrea. Upon inspection, the parcel was found to contain an AR-15 "lightning link" auto sear, a device classified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a machine gun and designed to convert a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle into an automatic weapon.

A court-authorized search of Dandrea's residence conducted by agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ATF, and the Johnston Police Department resulted in the seizure of six firearms and two firearm silencers, one of which was attached to a rifle. Investigators determined that neither silencer was registered to Dandrea in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys G. Michael Seaman and Ronald Gendron.

The matter was investigated by HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the ATF, with assistance from the Johnston, Warwick, Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket Police Departments.