Commonwealth v. Brown

By Judge Margaret p. Spencer

On November 29,2000, a jury convicted file defendant of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm while in possession of cocaine. The jury also sentenced him to the mandatory five-year incarceration period for each offense. Prior to trial, the Commonwealth moved to preclude the defendant from mentioning the “mandatory sentencing during the guilt phase and on voir dire” The defendant, by counsel, stated he “would like to ask the jury... [ifj they realize that there is a mandatory minimum sentence on these charges.” The Court responded:

The Court…