Charlestown Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Firearms and Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms

BOSTON – A Charlestown man pleaded guilty yesterday to trafficking more than two dozen firearms obtained from a straw purchaser in New Hampshire and illegally possessing multiple firearms.

Charles Baker, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Oct. 26, 2021. Baker was arrested and charged in August 2020.

From August 2018 to May of 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 Baked 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.

The charge of dealing in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Kelly D. Brady, 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 is prosecuting 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.