Man Who Jumped Off Washington Bridge to Evade Police Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges
Friday, January 06, 2023
A California man who jumped into the Providence River in a bid to evade arrest pled guilty Thursday in federal court in Providence to a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms; fourteen guns will be forfeited and destroyed as a result, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
READ: Suspect Jumps Off Washington Bridge on 195 Attempting to Evade Police
The firearms were seized from James Darosa, 29, in February 2022, during an East Providence Police Department Special Investigations Unit (SIU) firearms investigation.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to information presented to the court, members of the SIU established surveillance of a residence from which Darosa was seen exiting, placing a suitcase in the trunk of a vehicle, and entering the vehicle as a passenger. A short time later, East Providence Police initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle for a tinted window violation.
As officers approached the vehicle, Darosa got out of the rear passenger side and jumped off a bridge into the Providence River. With the assistance of Providence Police and Rhode Island State Police, Darosa was located along the shoreline and arrested. The suitcase that Darosa had placed in the trunk of the vehicle was found to contain 14 guns- thirteen handguns and one .22 caliber rifle.
According to court records, at the time of his arrest in February 2020, Darosa was serving a term of federal supervised release, having recently completed a term of incarceration of sixty months imposed in May 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on a conviction for distribution of methamphetamine.
Darosa, previously charged by way of indictment, today pleaded Thursday in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearms. No plea agreement has been filed in this matter. Upon his conviction, Darosa must forfeit the fourteen firearms seized by East Providence Police.
Darosa is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2023. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zechariah Chafee.
Related Articles
- Former 6/10 Construction Project Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements
- “Operation River Fork” Defendant Pleads Guilty - Feds Seized Cocaine and Cash From RI House
- RI Man Pleads Guilty to Swindling Victims Who Thought They Invested in “Magic Mike” Show
- Former RI Correctional Officer Found Guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct With Inmates
- NK Man Who Thought He Was Sending Obscene Videos to 10-Year-Old Girl Has Pleaded Guilty
- No Criminal Charges for Former Top McKee Staffer Silva - Only Guilty of “Poor Judgment”
- Cranston Man to Plead Guilty to Torching Police Cruiser During June 2020 Providence Riots
- Former Miss Rhode Island Arrested and Pleads Guilty to Fraud
- Jury Finds Pawtucket Woman Guilty of Violent Assault on Pregnant Woman in West Warwick Shooting
