Following the discovery of firearms, ammunition, stun guns, and drugs in two apartments he occupied, a 72-year-old Chelsea resident faced arraignment this week on 20 charges. Frederick J. Bonamo, 72, was held on high bail after his court appearance.
Bonamo appeared in Chelsea District Court on Monday, where he was charged with four counts each of unlawful firearm possession and possession of an electric stun gun; two counts of trafficking in heroin; and one count each of possession with intent to distribute a class B substance, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a class C substance, possession of a class E substance, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Additional charges were filed because the drugs were allegedly stored within 1000 feet of the Phoenix Charter Academy, triggering violations of the state’s drug laws in a school or park zone. Bonamo was also charged as a Level III armed career criminal, citing gun and drug convictions dating back to 1968.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Henry sought $500,000 bail, but Judge Paul Yee set it at $100,000.
On Friday around 3:30 p.m., Chelsea Police executed a search warrant at two Harvard Street apartments occupied by Bonamo as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, according to prosecutors. Officers stopped Bonamo in his Toyota Prius at the intersection of Laurel and Harvard streets. A pat frisk revealed a box of .22 caliber ammunition and a prescription bottle containing what prosecutors believe to be Suboxone, Oxycodone, and Gabapentin tablets. His wallet held $1,400 and a baggie with 13 Oxycodone pills, while an additional $1,092 in loose bills was found in his pocket.
After placing Bonamo under arrest, police proceeded to search both apartments.
In the first apartment, officers discovered a .22 caliber revolver, two .32 caliber revolvers (one without an identifiable serial number), a 12 gauge shotgun with no serial number, and ammunition, all stored in a suitcase. A floor safe contained multiple prescription bottles with hundreds of pills believed to be Oxycodone, Suboxone, Morphine, Seroquel, Gabapentin, and Clonazepan. Two additional pill bottles held a substance that field tested positive as crystal methamphetamine, prosecutors said.
The second apartment at the same address yielded another safe containing $7,000 in banded cash and prescription bottles with several hundred Oxycodone pills. Police also found four stun guns, crystal methamphetamine, and .32 caliber ammunition in this unit. Inside a recently repaired half-wall, officers discovered a canvas bag resembling bank deposit bags filled with a large quantity of coins, as well as a brown paper bag holding commemorative coins, according to prosecutors.
Bonamo’s arrest marked the second major firearms violation arrest on the North Shore in recent weeks. Damien Hutchinson, 30, of Revere was arrested in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 21 and arraigned in Chelsea District Court on March 25 on charges from an investigation involving Revere Police, State Police, and federal agents. He allegedly participated in selling three illegal .22 caliber handguns and four boxes of ammunition to a cooperating witness for $900. Prosecutors recommended $150,000 cash bail; his bail was set at $30,000 and he was ordered held for allegedly violating open probation terms.
Alfred Farese Jr. represented Bonamo, who is scheduled to return to court on May 1.