Lowell Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Trafficking

BOSTON – A Lowell man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to firearms trafficking charges. 

Isael Rodriguez, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 23, 2024. Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2022.

Rodriguez purchased firearms from a licensed dealer, falsely claiming that he was purchasing them for himself and then resold the firearms for profit to individuals in Boston. 

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 making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer 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 upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Michael Cox; Lowell Superintendent of Police Gregory C. Hudon; Brookline Police Chief Jennifer M. Paster; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.