Aaron Brown, 46, of Billerica, Massachusetts, has been arrested and charged in federal court with unlawfully dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Friday, November 13. Brown was charged by criminal complaint and was due to appear in federal court in Worcester later the same day.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
According to the charging documents, from approximately July 2024 through October 2026, Brown allegedly sold numerous privately made firearms — the untraceable weapons commonly known as ghost guns — as well as ammunition and a suppressor, to an individual who was working with federal law enforcement.
The investigation began in July 2024, when Brown allegedly sold a privately made short-barreled rifle and ammunition in Tewksbury for approximately $1,500. Prosecutors allege that a series of further firearms transactions with the informant followed in Billerica, Lowell and elsewhere in Massachusetts, continuing for more than two years through October 2026.
In total, it is alleged that Brown sold at least 10 privately made firearms, including multiple short-barreled rifles, along with ammunition, firearm magazines and a suppressor. Several of the firearms allegedly contained components manufactured outside Massachusetts, and the ammunition Brown allegedly sold had travelled in interstate commerce — the federal connection that places the case in U.S. court.
"It's going to suck for the officer(s)"
Court documents describe a March 2025 meeting with a cooperating witness at which Brown allegedly discussed obtaining machinegun conversion device parts and future firearms transactions. When the conversation turned to the risk of being apprehended by law enforcement, Brown allegedly stated that if he were caught, "it's going to suck for the officer(s)," and suggested that he would make it appear that he was armed, according to the charging documents.
Despite the repeated alleged sales, prosecutors say Brown holds no licence of any kind for the trade: he does not possess a federal firearms license, a Massachusetts license to carry firearms, or a state firearms identification card.
Brown was also legally barred from possessing firearms or ammunition at all. He has a prior felony conviction, including a conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Essex Superior Court, for which he received a sentence of three to five years in jail, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
What Brown faces
The charge of being a felon in possession of firearms 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 engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a federal firearms license provides for up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence would be imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statutes governing sentencing.
Privately made firearms are built or assembled outside commercial channels and carry no manufacturer serial number, which makes them far harder for police to trace when they turn up at crime scenes. Massachusetts tightened its law in 2024, expanding the definition of a firearm to cover frames and receivers and requiring privately made firearms to be serialized and registered.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Boston Field Division. The Billerica Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police provided assistance, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Source: Mass Daily News
The details in the charging documents are allegations. Brown is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the case will now proceed in the U.S. District Court in Worcester, where the complaint will move through an initial appearance and the next court dates set by the court.