United States of America v. Kareem Pires

Providence, Rhode Island, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

Reported by Kent Morlan

Kareem Pires, 27, of Wareham, participated in a conspiracy to arrange for the killing of a federal witness connected to a pending federal criminal case. The agreement between Pires and co-defendant Elijah Melton to kill a witness in an official proceeding in the District of Massachusetts, formed while Melton was awaiting trial at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.

“This sentence sends a clear message that threats and acts of violence against witnesses will be met with serious consequences,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “Protecting the integrity of the justice system depends on the willingness of witnesses to come forward and testify without fear of intimidation or retaliation. Our office and our law enforcement partners remain committed to investigating and prosecuting anyone who seeks to obstruct justice through violence.”

“Harvard Street gang member Kareem Pires’s recent confession to plotting to kill a witness in a federal trial has now landed him behind bars for the next eight years. The FBI was able to foil this cold and calculated plan aimed at subverting the course of justice, thanks to a cooperating witness who worked with us to expose it,” said Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “No one involved in the administration of justice should ever be the subject of threats or violence, and the FBI will continue to bring all its resources to bear to disrupt deadly plots like this one.”

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.