Worcester Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Stolen Firearm And Lying To Firearm Dealers

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to lying to firearm dealers.

Ruben Ramos, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, five counts of making false statements in records required to be maintained by a federal firearm dealer, and one count of possession of a stolen firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2019.

In December 2016, Worcester police issued Ramos, an employee of the U.S. Postal Service and member of the Army National Guard, a license to possess firearms. From May 2017 through May 2018, Ramos purchased at least 16 firearms, including 14 pistols and two rifles. On at least five occasions, from March 2018 through May 2018, Ramos knowingly provided a false address to the dealers from whom he purchased seven firearms. 

In June 2018, Ramos admitted to federal investigators that he only possessed six of the 16 guns that he purchased over the previous 12 months. Ramos admitted that he lied to firearms dealers on two occasions in May 2018, when he acted as a “straw buyer,” by claiming that he was buying the gun for himself when, in fact, he was buying the guns on behalf of another person. Additionally, in June 2018, investigators found a Beretta 9 mm pistol in Ramos’ residence that was the property of the Army National Guard. Ramos admitted that he had stolen the Beretta 9 mm pistol from the weapons vault at the Army National Guard facility on Plantation Street in Worcester. 

The charges of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm each provide for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of making a false statement in records required to be maintained by a federally licensed firearm dealer provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg A. Friedholm of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.