Boston Man Cops to Illegal Gun Dealing

Boston streets just lost another gun trafficker to federal justice. Charles A. Slayden Jr., 26, of Boston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, admitting his role in a black-market gun pipeline that fed weapons to the city’s violent underground.

Slayden entered his plea before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper, who set sentencing for Dec. 3, 2020. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The feds aren’t playing around—this is the kind of case that fuels Boston’s gun violence epidemic.

Slayden didn’t act alone. He conspired with Levenson Merilus, 29, of Randolph, who copped to the same charge on Feb. 12, 2020. Together, they exploited loopholes in the federal firearms system, purchasing guns from licensed dealers and flipping them for profit to buyers on the streets of Boston—no questions asked.

Court records show Merilus personally bought at least seven firearms, lying on federal forms by claiming he was the actual buyer. That straw purchase scheme is a favorite among traffickers, and it’s exactly the type of illegal behavior federal agents are cracking down on under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

The PSN initiative, backed by the Department of Justice, targets violent offenders and illegal gun networks through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. This case was a joint hit by the ATF’s Boston Field Division, the Massachusetts State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Andrew E. Lelling.

With Boston’s homicide rate spiking in recent years, cases like Slayden’s are under intense scrutiny. The feds say they’re sending a message: funnel guns into this city illegally, and you’ll face federal time. For Slayden, that clock starts ticking this December.

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