Roxbury man indicted on federal gun charge; could face life in prison because of record

Khyeme Johnson, 31, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Johnson was arrested on Aug. 24 of last year for possession of a Arcadia Machine & Tool .380 semiautomatic pistol with two rounds of ammunition in it, the US Attorney's office reports.

Johnson faces such a potentially severe punishment if convicted because of what the US Attorney's office says are multiple prior convictions.

This includes a 2008 arrest for cocaine distribution. He was initially sentenced to nine years in federal prison, but that was later reduced - after he'd already served several years - to two years in a plea deal that saw the charge reduced from distribution to possession. Over the years, he has been arrested other times in both Boston and Chelsea on both gun and drug charges.

Innocent, etc.