A Brazilian national, Guilherme Fernandes-Tavares, was sentenced on April 1 in federal court in Boston to four years in prison for selling firearms without a license. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris handed down the sentence, and Fernandes-Tavares will be subject to deportation after completing his prison term.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address unlicensed firearm dealing and related public safety concerns. Fernandes-Tavares pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.
According to prosecutors, between January and May 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold a total of eleven firearms in Eastern Massachusetts. Among these transactions was the sale of a pistol equipped with a high-capacity magazine capable of holding 29 rounds on March 27, 2024. On May 7, he sold another pistol that had its serial number removed. When questioned about this alteration by a cooperating witness, Fernandes-Tavares said his source required him to obliterate the serial number before sale.
Fernandes-Tavares was arrested in May 2024 on an unrelated state charge before being charged federally by criminal complaint in March 2025 and indicted that July.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Reynolds prosecuted the case.
The sentencing underscores continued federal efforts against illegal gun trafficking activities within Massachusetts.
