East Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Possession ofAmmunition.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1998--An East Boston man pled guilty on Monday, September 14, to possession of ammunition in violation of federal firearms laws.

United States Attorney Donald K. Stern announced today that RICHARD D. LEPAGE, 26, of East Boston, Massachusetts, has

At a Court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore D. Chuang told U.S. District Court Judge Reginald C. Lindsay that had the case gone to trial, the Government would have shown that on December 3, 1997 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Detective Mark James and Sergeant James Picardi of the Revere Police Department observed LEPAGE, a previously convicted felon, seated in the driver's seat of a tan Chrysler in the fire lane in front of the Stop & Shop supermarket at the Wonderland Marketplace in Revere, Massachusetts.

After approaching the car to speak to LEPAGE, Detective James observed that LEPAGE's passenger, Everett Fraser of East Boston, was making hand movements toward the area near the passenger side door. While conducting a protective search of Fraser, Detective James found a Mossberg pistol grip pump shotgun inside the car between the passenger seat and the door, as well as five 12-gauge shotgun shells in Fraser's sock. A subsequent search of LEPAGE by Sergeant Picardi revealed that LEPAGE had been carrying 16 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition in his pocket.

LEPAGE faces a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Judge Lindsay set a sentencing hearing for November 30, 1998 at 2:30 p.m.

The case was investigated by the Revere Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana K. Lloyd and Theodore D. Chuang of Stern's Major Crimes Unit.