BOSTON, July 31, 2012—A Quincy man will serve up to a decade behind bars and his Dorchester associate will serve at least five years for their shared possession of a large-capacity semiautomatic rifle that one of them pointed at a Boston Police officer last year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

MARVIN VEIGA (D.O.B. 2/15/89) of Quincy pleaded guilty today to unlawful possession of a rifle, unlawful possession of a large-capacity weapon, carrying a loaded firearm, and unlawful possession of a large-capacity feeding device for the Colt .223 Sporter rifle he possessed on the night of Jan. 8, 2011. He also pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for pointing it at pursuing Boston Police officers. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine Roach sentenced him to a term of eight to 10 years in state prison to be followed by two years of probation.

Veiga’s co-defendant, OSVALDIR MENDES (D.O.B. 2/2/87), pleaded guilty to the same firearms charges as well as reckless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for a police officer. Roach sentenced him to a term of five to six years in prison, with three years of probation upon his release.

The sentences and conditions of probation had been recommended by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Janezic, deputy chief of Conley’s Gang Unit, who indicted both men as Level I armed career criminals based on their criminal records. Both men had previously been convicted of assault and battery on a public employee.

Had the cases proceeded to trial, Janezic would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that members of the Boston Police Youth Violence Strike Force attempted to stop Mendes’ vehicle in the area of Adams and East streets in Dorchester at about 11:00 p.m. The evidence would have shown that Mendes refused to stop and instead sped from the scene only to crash into a guard rail on the 93 South on-ramp.

Mendes and Veiga jumped from the car and fled on foot with officers in pursuit. During that pursuit, Janezic would have demonstrated, officers observed Veiga carrying the Colt rifle and repeatedly ordered him to drop it. Veiga ignored those commands and instead turned and pointed it at the officers. At that time, one officer discharged his firearm, striking him in the leg.

Both men were apprehended, along with two others – DARONDE BETHEA (D.O.B. 4/10/92) of Milton and TAKARI ELLIOTT (D.O.B. 2/18/92) of Dorchester – whose cases are still pending in Suffolk Superior Court.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.