BOSTON — A Worcester man pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, Jan. 17, 2026, to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition after police said he fled officers following a report of an armed man outside a downtown nightclub.
Gilbert Morin, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for April 23, 2026.
Federal prosecutors said police responded on May 30, 2025, to a report of a man with a firearm outside a downtown nightclub.
Not finding the individual at the scene, officers drove a short distance away and spotted a man who appeared to be trying to conceal an item in his hand.
When officers attempted to stop the man — later identified as Morin — he ran, leading police on a foot chase through Worcester Common behind City Hall, prosecutors said.
Morin was apprehended and found to be in possession of a loaded Taurus pistol. Prosecutors said Morin was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior conviction punishable by more than one year in prison.
Morin was arrested and charged in state court on May 20, 2025, and has remained in custody since, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. A federal grand jury indicted him in September 2025.
The felon-in-possession charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, along with officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Worcester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown is prosecuting the case.
