Four suspects were arrested earlier this month after an investigation determined the men were involved in trafficking illegal firearms into Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood.
Charged with conspiracy and dealing in firearms without a federal license are Samuel Jean, 22, of Everett; Deon Young, 32, of Hyde Park; and Jeffrey Joseph, 31, of Boston. Joseph is also charged with being a prohibited person in possession of firearms, while the fourth suspect, Troy Armstrong, 27, of Boston, was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms.
All four were arrested on Dec. 1 and appeared in court last week, according to a press release by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Jean, Young, and Armstrong are detained while they await trial. Joseph, who also has an active restraining order against him, is scheduled for a probable cause and detention hearing Monday.
The arrests came following an undercover investigation in April in which law enforcement used a cooperating witness to purchase firearms and drugs from the defendants in the Bunker Hill Housing Authority area.
The purchases were made at the direction of law enforcement over a one-month period. Jean and Joseph sold seven firearms to the cooperating witness, including one which was confirmed to be previously stolen. During the same one-month period, Young and Armstrong sold two guns to the witness, including one which, due to an obliterated serial number, was presumably stolen as well.
“Every illegal firearm on the street poses a danger to the community,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “We will continue to pursue those who circumvent the legal process to sell firearms on our streets thereby endangering the children and families who call these neighborhoods home.”
Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, praised the corroborative efforts of those who were instrumental in the suspects’ arrests and added that they would continue to work to dismantle such operations.
If convicted, Jean, Young and Joseph could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for dealing in firearms without a license, while Joseph and Armstrong face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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