A Charlestown man was sentenced this week for trafficking more than three dozen firearms obtained from a straw purchaser in New Hampshire that ended up in the hands of gang members. He was also sentenced on a second charge of a felon illegally possessing multiple firearms.
Charles Baker, 45, of Charlestown, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Baker pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm on June 16.
According to court documents, from August 2018 to May 2019, Baker acquired over 36 firearms from a straw purchaser in New Hampshire and then resold the firearms to individuals in Massachusetts. Court documents further show Baker took pictures and negotiated the prices with numerous potential buyers over text message. Many of these firearms were recovered in Massachusetts from gang members and prohibited persons.
Based on photographs that proved Baker possessed certain firearms in Massachusetts, he was convicted of specifically possessing multiple firearms that were later trafficked. Due to a prior conviction, Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms and does not possess a federal license to sell firearms.