GREENWOOD – Peter A. Gordon, 42, of Greenwood faces federal firearms charges with up to a 10-year prison sentence, after an April police raid that netted 35 firearms.

Toby Dilworth, assistant U.S. attorney, said Gordon was indicted May 14 by a federal grand jury, and arrested the next day. He is being held without bail under arrangements made by U.S. marshals until his arraignment Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Gordon, of 97 Rabbit Lane, was also arrested on drug trafficking and firearms possessions charges shortly after the April 8 raid conducted by Maine State Police, the Oxford County Sheriff’s office, Rumford Police Department and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents. He was booked at the Oxford County Jail, with bail set at $500 cash.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office got the case in early May, after an extensive investigation by MDEA agents, state police and the Central Maine Violent Crime Task Force.

“It took us 10 days or so to return an indictment,” Dilworth said.

Because Gordon is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, “we concluded federal prosecution is appropriate,” Dilworth said. Sentences are tougher, generally, in federally-prosecuted cases than those handled by the state’s court system, he said.

U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby said the indictment says that Gordon was convicted in Oxford County Superior Court in April 1980 of both aggravated assault and theft. In September 1986, the indictment also says, Gordon was convicted of unlawful trafficking in a scheduled drug and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Most of the guns – including two with obliterated serial numbers – and ammunition were allegedly found behind Gordon’s house in a camper trailer. Several more were found in the house.

Gordon is being charged on two federal counts: one that he, a felon, possessed the 35 firearms, and the other that he possessed two firearms with no serial numbers.

Silsby said the case is part of Maine’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, begun last fall, which seeks to take a hard line against suspected gun criminals.

Although Maine, in 2000, had the distinction of having the lowest percentage of crimes committed with guns in the nation, the state has a real problem with felons in possession of firearms, Silsby said.

One of the main goals of the safe neighborhoods initiative is to implement “vigorous and coordinated enforcement of federal and state gun laws” and educate the public about what the federal gun laws are – and the consequences of violating them, Silsby said.



Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.