Boston Man Charged with Unlawful Possession of Firearm and Ammunition

BOSTON - A Boston man has been arrested and charged after allegedly being found with a loaded firearm in his waistband.

Hakeem Cooper, 21, was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and appeared in U.S. District Court in Boston for an initial appearance.

According to the charging documents, on March 17, 2026, Cooper was arrested in Brookline, Mass., on a state warrant. During the arrest, a loaded firearm in the waistband of Cooper's pants was allegedly found. The firearm was determined to be a Taurus PT111 Millenium G2 9mm pistol, loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition with one round in the chamber.

Cooper is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to his prior state court convictions, including prior convictions in Suffolk Superior Court for trafficking controlled substances and possession to distribute a class B controlled substance.

The charge of being a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and Brookline Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.