Pawtucket man prohibited from possessing firearms charged with lying on firearm purchase application

Published on Wednesday, July 10, 2024

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Pawtucket man has been charged in Sixth District Court in Providence with providing false information in order to secure a firearm following his attempt to buy a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer in Pawtucket in June 2023.

On July 2, 2024, the Office of the Attorney General charged Richard Osoria (age 23), with one count of providing false information while attempting to secure a firearm.

As alleged in court documents, on February 27, 2024, the defendant attempted to purchase a Glock 9mm handgun from Lost Treasures Gun & Coin in Pawtucket and was subsequently denied after a National Instant Background Check System (NICS) check returned results flagging that the defendant is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Investigators from the Office of the Attorney General found that the defendant is subject to a No Contact Order with a former girlfriend, and had previously been arrested, twice, for domestic incidents in 2022. 

Under federal law, certain individuals are restricted from possessing a firearm. Individuals convicted of crimes of domestic violence and individuals subject to a restraining order are prohibited from possessing a gun or ammunition. This law informs two of the questions on the federal gun purchase application. 

As further alleged, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) contacted Lost Treasures Gun & Coin and requested copies of the defendant’s state and federal applications. It is alleged that the defendant lied twice on his federal application by denying that he was not currently subject to a court-issued restraining order, and that he had not been convicted of domestic violence.

“It is crucial to keep firearms out of the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them, and in this case, as alleged, our gun laws and our investigators worked in lockstep to successfully prevent that from happening,” said Attorney General Neronha. “The allegations here – lying and buying – are serious and something our Office has committed itself committed to investigating to help keep our communities safe from gun violence. I want to thank the investigators from our Bureau of Criminal Investigation for their exceptional work here, and the licensed firearms dealer for its cooperation in this case.”

The defendant is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference on September 30, 2024, in Providence County Superior Court.

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