A Brazilian national living unlawfully in Marlborough has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for firearms trafficking. Guilherme Fernandes-Tavares, 31, faces one count of dealing firearms without a license and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on July 30, 2025. Previously, he was charged by criminal complaint on March 7, 2025.
According to the charging documents, between December 2023 and May 2024, Fernandes-Tavares allegedly sold 11 firearms and ammunition over ten different dates and offered others for sale. The firearms reportedly included pistols, some privately manufactured without serial numbers, and one with an obliterated serial number. Additionally, one firearm was allegedly sold with a large capacity magazine capable of holding 28 rounds. A package sent from Florida intended for Fernandes-Tavares was intercepted and allegedly contained another firearm.
The charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations announced the indictment today. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; and Westborough Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Reynolds from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations at this stage. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
