Pepo Herd El, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Massachusetts 2024

Boston, MA – A Boston man was sentenced to prison for carrying a loaded pistol at an MBTA station. The defendant, a felon, was identified through his online purchasing history, which showed he was buying firearm accessories and chemicals that could create incendiary or explosive compounds.

Pepo Herd El, 51, of Dorchester, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served plus 10 days – approximately 49 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2024, Herd El pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Herd El was arrested on Thanksgiving Day 2020 and has been in custody since. Approximately one year preceding his arrest, Herd El made online firearms-related purchases, including a laser sight, magazines, and a concealable holster. He also purchased extended magazine plates, which allow magazines to hold more rounds and a Glock firing pin safety, which reduces the force required to pull the trigger.

According to court documents, Herd El adhered to the sovereign citizen ideology, which is generally considered anti-government and anti-authority. On Nov. 26, 2020, Herd El took a bus from his home in Dorchester to the Ruggles MBTA station. At Ruggles, Herd El was detained and searched pursuant to a search warrant. A loaded semi-automatic pistol, a laser sight, three spare magazines, 45 rounds of ammunition, a knife, and an infrared camera were recovered during the search.

Herd El was also wearing a bullet-proof vest and a jacket that had “security” written on it. He told law enforcement officers that he was on his way to Thanksgiving dinner. During a subsequent search of Herd El’s residence, another magazine loaded with armor-piercing rounds was recovered, as well as various drawings of gun barrel designs, firearm suppressors, and bullets were on the walls.

Various tools that could manufacture ammunition, a chemistry book containing handwritten notes about materials needed to make TNT and C-4 were also found. Due to several 2004 state convictions for possessing firearms without permits and other crimes, Herd El is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Beck and Timothy Kistner of the National Security Unit, with valuable assistance provided by the Boston Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/boston-man-sentenced-carrying-loaded-firearm-mbta-station-boston