Pawtucket Man Sentenced To Prison In Providence Gun Case

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Pawtucket man has been sentenced to serve one year at the Adult Correctional Institutions in connection with his arrest last year by Providence police.

Giovanni Depina, 20, on Tuesday entered a plea of nolo contendere to carrying a pistol without a permit, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said in a news release. Depina appeared in Providence Superior Court where Justice Kristin E. Rodgers sentenced him to five years at the ACI with one year to serve and the balance suspended with probation.

Providence police on March 8, 2020 stopped a car on Broad Street and confiscated a loaded gun. Police said the car was traveling with its headlights off with Depina sitting in the front passenger seat. Officers said they smelled marijuana and said Depina admitted he had marijuana in his possession. During a search of the vehicle, officers seized a loaded SCCY CPX-2 9mm pistol under Depina’s seat. Depina, who did not have a license to carry, later admitted to officers that he owned the pistol, police said.

“Traveling the streets of Providence with a loaded gun presents a danger to residents and law enforcement alike," stated Neronha. "While it is impossible to know the defendant’s intentions regarding the firearm he had hidden under his seat, the fact is, he had ready access to it, he was mobile, and his mobility was disguised by the lack of headlight use. When a defendant presents such potential danger, even a defendant as young as this one, a period of incarceration is plainly warranted.”

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré issued a statement. “Individuals who possess and circulate illegal firearms present a serious threat of violence to the public and removing guns from our streets is top priority to the members of the Providence Police Department,” he said.

Neronha and Paré commended the Providence police officers who confiscated the loaded gun.

Special Assistant Attorney General Gregory Abilheiraled the investigation and prosecution of the case.