Armed Career Criminal Convicted of Gun Charge Faces Life in Prison

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A federal court jury convicted Damien Gouse, 35, of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a charge that could land him up to life in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.

Gouse, who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence in Massachusetts on felony assault charges, faces an additional 15 years to life in prison for the crime, which was committed in 2007.

The government presented evidence at trial that on November 29, 2007, two Providence Police officers observed Gouse make a series of suspicious turns in a vehicle, leading to a traffic stop in a church parking lot.

During the stop, one of the officers seized a .22 caliber handgun from the vehicle’s passenger area floor, where Gouse had attempted to conceal it.

Gouse has been detained since his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on March 11, 2014.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gerard B. Sullivan, Richard B. Myrus, and Lee H. Vilker, with the assistance of the Providence Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Gouse’s lengthy history of violent crime convictions, which date back to 1998, could also lead to an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

The case highlights the importance of community policing and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to keep our streets safe from gun violence.

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