Charlestown Gun King Sentenced to 37 Months

BOSTON – The grimy streets of Charlestown witnessed a landmark sentence today as Charles Baker, 45, a known firearms trafficker, was handed a 37-month prison term by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton. This comes after Baker confessed to dealing in over three dozen firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of multiple firearms.

Baker’s operation spanned from August 2018 to May 2019, where he obtained the guns through a straw purchaser in New Hampshire before selling them within Massachusetts. His illegal activities were uncovered when law enforcement recovered several firearms from gang members and prohibited persons. Baker’s conviction was bolstered by photographs that showed him with specific firearms later identified as part of his trafficking.

Despite being barred from firearm possession due to a prior conviction and lacking a federal license, Baker continued his illicit trade over text message, negotiating deals with numerous potential buyers. His downfall was swift, as the evidence against him mounted to a mountain of incriminating data that painted a picture of a man intent on profiting from the illegal arms trade.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, led by Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New England Field Division, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, jointly announced the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard from Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit handled the prosecution.

This sentencing is a significant win for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime. Reinvigorated by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017, PSN has been instrumental in targeting violent criminals like Baker and making neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Charles Baker’s sentence sends a stark message: when you deal in illegal firearms, the grim reaper of justice will soon be knocking at your door. The Charlestown community can breathe easier today, knowing that one of its most notorious gun runners has been brought to heel.

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