BOSTON – A Lynn man has been convicted following a five-day jury trial of attempting to tamper with a witness who was expected to testify in a federal trial.
Charlie Vick, 37, was convicted of one count of attempted witness tampering. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024 on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of witness tampering. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the felon in possession count resulting in a hung jury on that count.
In April 2023, Vick was previously indicted for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after police allegedly found a firearm in a car that he had been driving in Uxbridge, Mass. Vick’s trial was scheduled for January 2024 in U.S. District Court in Worcester. The government was planning to call Person 1 to testify as a material witness at trial.
When Vick was at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility awaiting trial, he repeatedly messaged Person 1, telling Person 1 not to testify against him at trial. On Nov. 12, 2023, Vick wrote Person 1 the following message:
- “Let me ask you a question on a more serious note [Person 1] please?”
- “I just want to know are you going to work with the government when I go to trial like are you going to help them put me away?”
Two days later, Vick told Person 1 that if Person 1 were to testify at trial, certain pictures – including pictures that the evidence demonstrated were of Vick holding firearms – could be presented against him, stating in part:
- “So you know they need you to testify that the allege gun they found in the car is the allege gun from the picture if they can’t get that in then they have no case”
- “At trial without them pictures coming in they can’t do shit…You got to figure that s*** out man…They get that picture…in at trial I don’t have much of a chance at anything.”
Vick also wrote to Person 1 about the upcoming trial: “When that date comes you need to be somewhere chilling away for that week…” as well as “You don’t have to f*** with me respond or anything…just PLEASE do not testify against me…”
Further, the evidence proved that on Dec. 28, 2023, Vick messaged Person 1 offering to pay Person 1 not to testify, stating in part:“I hope you enjoying life…I have trial in 11 days…If I have to pay you to stay away lmk smh…Just do me a favor…That night pack…a bag go stay with [Person 2]…two days that’s it please all I ask…”
The charge of attempted witness tampering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan O’Shea and Zachary Stendig of the Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
