Westborough Man Charged With Distributing Crack In Public Housing

WESTBOROUGH, MA — A man who was living in Westborough was identified by the state Department of Justice as a member of the Heath Street Gang and pleaded guilty to charges of distributing crack cocaine in a public housing development.

Michael Pridgen, 36, pleaded guilty during a videoconference hearing on Thursday. Pridgen has been detained since his arrest on Sept. 10, 2019.

Pridgen distributed crack cocaine in and around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development, in Boston on June 5, 2019 and July 2, 2019, according to the DOJ. In the June 5, 2019, incident, Pridgen kept the crack cocaine and a digital scale in an electrical box affixed to the wall in the stairwell of the public housing complex. Both deals happened in the stairwells of the complex, the DOJ said.

Pridgen was arrested on Sept. 10, 2019 and police found "a distributable-quantity of crack cocaine and fentanyl" on him, according to the DOJ. Although Pridgen has been identified by law enforcement as a member of the Heath Street Gang, he was living in Westborough at the time of the incidents.

The charge of distributing or possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of distributing or possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances in a public housing development provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of one year and up to 40 years in prison, a minimum of six years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million.