Holyoke Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

BOSTON – A Holyoke man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. 

Joe Anthony Montaner-Vazquez, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2023, Montaner-Vazquez pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

In May 2022, Montaner-Vazquez was found in possession of a Glock 9-millimeter caliber pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition after he attempted to flee from police. Montaner-Vazquez was previously convicted of a felony and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.