BOSTON – A brazen scheme to smuggle guns from Alabama to Boston has landed a Boston man in hot water. Kobe Smith, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to illegally transport firearms.
According to court documents, Smith conspired with co-defendants Jahquel Pringle, Jarmori Brown, and Brandon Moore to obtain at least 24 firearms from Alabama, where Moore lived. Smith would place orders with Moore for firearms, which would then be transported to Boston by Pringle, who traveled on commercial buses to pick up the guns.
In two separate trips in July and August 2020, Pringle traveled from Boston to Alabama to pick up the firearms, which were concealed within luggage. He was joined by Brown for the August trip. At least seven of the firearms have been recovered from the streets of Boston and surrounding communities.
Smith’s guilty plea marks the fourth and final defendant in the case to plead guilty. Brown was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release in July 2023. Pringle and Moore are awaiting sentencing.
The charge of conspiracy to illegally transport firearms carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2024. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. This case is being prosecuted by the Major Crimes Unit.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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