Smithfield man charged with gun possession and stealing car

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said Friday that a Smithfield man was charged with illegal possession of a pistol with a large capacity magazine while in possession of a stolen vehicle.

Michael Ranucci was charged with one count of carrying a pistol without a permit, one count of possession of a firearm after a conviction of a crime of violence, one count of possession of a large capacity magazine, one count of alteration of identifying marks on a firearm, and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Neronha said that Johnston police conducted a well-being check on April 6 on a 2019 Dodge Durango SRT occupied by 52-year-old Ranucci and a female passenger.

Police alleged that they observed a firearm magazine in the vehicle and searched the vehicle, finding a Glock 23 .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with removed serial numbers and a 28-round magazine.

They also discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen in Connecticut.

Neronha said that Ranucci was convicted of felony assault in 2012 and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.

He is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference on August 2.