Defendant acquired over 36 firearms that were later trafficked to gang members and prohibited persons
BOSTON - A Charlestown man was sentenced today for trafficking more than three dozen firearms obtained from a straw purchaser in New Hampshire and for illegally possessing multiple firearms.
Charles Baker, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On June 16, 2021, Baker pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
From August 2018 to May 2019, Baker acquired over 36 firearms from a straw purchaser in New Hampshire and then resold the firearms to individuals in Massachusetts, taking pictures and negotiating the prices with numerous potential buyers over text message. Many of these firearms were recovered in Massachusetts from gang members and prohibited persons. Based on photographs that proved Baker possessed certain firearms in Massachusetts, he was convicted of specifically possessing multiple firearms that were later trafficked.
Due to a prior conviction, Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms and does not possess a federal license to sell firearms.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
