Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Salvadoran national living unlawfully in Chelsea was sentenced on May 7 to more than two years in federal prison for selling firearms without a license and distributing cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Melbi Ovidio Ortez, age 41, received a sentence of 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper. Ortez is subject to deportation after completing his sentence.
Ortez pleaded guilty in February to one count each of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and distribution and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was arrested and charged in June 2025 after being identified as an associate of the 18th Street Gang who supplied firearms and drugs to gang members. Authorities said that between April 3 and May 2, 2025, Ortez sold several pistols—including Glock, Sturm & Ruger, and Colt models—magazines, over one hundred rounds of ammunition (some with defaced serial numbers), as well as cocaine on two occasions behind his Chelsea residence.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Boston Field Division. Several local police departments provided assistance alongside state agencies such as Massachusetts State Police and federal partners including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This case falls under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The task force aims to eliminate criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling rings operating both within the United States and abroad through interagency collaboration led by law enforcement agencies at multiple levels.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts handles prosecutions like this one across Massachusetts while advancing community initiatives on civil rights enforcement and violence prevention; it employs over two hundred staff members statewide at facilities including its main office at John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston according to the official website.
