Tennessee Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Trafficking at Least 30 Firearms

BOSTON – A Tennessee man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for trafficking at least 30 firearms in the Boston area. 

John Pierre, 27, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Feb. 17, 2022, Pierre pleaded guilty to an Indictment. 

In March 2022, Pierre was arrested at South Station in Boston carrying a bag containing 11 firearms, large capacity magazines and numerous rounds of ammunition. A subsequent investigation revealed that Pierre had moved from Massachusetts to Tennessee where he legally purchase firearms. Additionally, Pierre travelled back and forth from Tennessee to Massachusetts on numerous occasions with at least 30 firearms that he illegally sold in the Boston area as part of his gun trafficking operation.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley Jr. of the Organized Crime & 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.