Aaron Brown
Introduction
Aaron Brown, 46, of Billerica, Massachusetts, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as a previously convicted felon . Federal prosecutors allege that from approximately July 2024 through October 2026, Brown sold at least ten privately made firearms — commonly known as ghost guns — including multiple short-barreled rifles, along with ammunition, firearm magazines and a suppressor, to an individual working with federal law enforcement . He was charged by criminal complaint and appeared in federal court in Worcester the day the charges were announced .
Background Information
The case was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Boston Field Division, with assistance from the Billerica Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police . Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting . Brown does not possess a federal firearms license, a Massachusetts license to carry firearms, or a firearms identification card .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. The details in the charging document are allegations, and Brown is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation began in July 2024, when Brown allegedly sold a privately made short-barreled rifle and ammunition in Tewksbury for approximately $1,500 . He is alleged to have then conducted a series of additional firearms transactions with the informant in Billerica, Lowell and elsewhere in Massachusetts .
In total, prosecutors allege Brown sold at least 10 privately made firearms — including multiple short-barreled rifles — plus ammunition, firearm magazines and a suppressor; several of the firearms allegedly contained components manufactured outside Massachusetts, and the ammunition he sold allegedly traveled in interstate commerce .
Court documents also describe a March 2025 meeting with a cooperating witness in which Brown discussed obtaining machinegun conversion device parts and future firearms transactions. When discussing the risks of being apprehended by law enforcement, Brown allegedly stated that if he were caught, “it’s going to suck for the officer(s),” and suggested that he would make it appear that he was armed .
Brown is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of a prior felony conviction, including a conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Essex Superior Court, for which he received a sentence of three to five years in jail .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The charges were announced the same day Brown was to appear in federal court in Worcester . The felony charge of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition carries up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000; the charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a federal firearms license carries up to five years, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 . The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized in its release that the details contained in the charging document are allegations .
Current Status
Brown has been charged by criminal complaint and has made his initial appearance in federal court in Worcester; the case is at the charging stage, and no conviction has been entered . The investigation spanned roughly 27 months of alleged transactions with a cooperating informant, and the charging documents remain the public record of the case .
Impact on Their Career/Life
A man already barred from firearms possession by a prior three-to-five-year state sentence now faces federal charges whose combined maximum exposure runs to two decades in prison and half a million dollars in fines . The alleged conduct — manufacturing and selling untraceable privately made firearms, including short-barreled rifles and a suppressor, across multiple Massachusetts communities — sits at the center of the ATF Boston Field Division’s ghost-gun enforcement work .
Sources
- “Massachusetts Man Charged for Allegedly Selling at least 10 Ghost Guns and Ammunition” — U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts / justice.gov, November 2026: source