Bean Town Times

A Boston man identified as a member or associate of the Heath Street Gang was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking activities within a public housing development. Michael Van Rader, 24, received a sentence of 22 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper.

In April 2024, Van Rader pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public housing facility. His arrest occurred on September 3, 2023, at the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain while he was in possession of a distribution quantity of cocaine. At that time, Van Rader had been barred by the Boston Housing Authority from trespassing at the complex and was on probation related to a state firearm conviction.

The announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Boston Field Division); and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. The investigation received support from the Boston Housing Authority Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hoefle from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.