Convicted Felon From Fall River Charged With Firearm and Drug Offenses

BOSTON – A Fall River man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and distributing cocaine.

Carlos Perez, 40, has been charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of distributing a controlled substance. Perez was arrested on Nov. 13, 2025 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for Nov. 19, 2025.

According to charging documents, on May 5, 2025, Perez sold cocaine as well as a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition to a cooperating witness. It is further alleged that, Perez sold a Sig Sauer, P230 SL, .380 caliber pistol and ammunition on June 2, 2025 as well as a Ruger, Max 9, 9mm pistol and ammunition on June 30, 2025.

Perez is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due multiple prior convictions. According to the charging documents, Perez has 61 adult charges on his record and over 15 criminal convictions, including a 2015 state conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance, for which he served two years in the house of corrections, as well as two separate convictions for Assault and Battery Dangerous Weapon in 2008, for which he received a two-year suspended sentence and six months in the house of corrections.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of distributing a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River and New Bedford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.