A Hyannis resident, Donnell Pina, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young in federal court in Boston for the crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. Pina had pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2025 after being indicted alongside co-defendant Ryan Diefenbach by a federal grand jury in November 2022.
The charges stem from an incident in September 2021 when Pina and Diefenbach were found to possess a Chinese SKS .762 caliber rifle. Pina later sold this rifle and a Walther Colt M4 Carbine .22LR caliber semi-automatic rifle to a confidential informant working with federal law enforcement during two separate transactions on Cape Cod.
Both men, due to previous felony convictions, were legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Diefenbach was previously sentenced in October 2024 to six years in prison with an additional three years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Boston Field Division, announced the sentencing. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a strategy to enhance PSN’s effectiveness based on principles such as community trust and strategic enforcement priorities.
