By Tiffany Williams –
A Billerica man accused of repeatedly selling privately made firearms to a person working with federal law enforcement has been arrested on federal gun charges. Prosecutors say the transactions included short-barreled rifles, ammunition and a suppressor, despite a felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing firearms.
Aaron Brown, 46, was charged by criminal complaint with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a federal firearms license and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
He was scheduled to appear in federal court in Worcester later Friday.
According to charging documents, Brown allegedly sold at least 10 privately made firearms, commonly called “ghost guns,” during an investigation spanning approximately July 2024 through October 2026.
The allegations describe transactions in Tewksbury, Billerica, Lowell and elsewhere in Massachusetts. They also include a statement investigators say Brown made about what might happen if law enforcement caught him.
During a March 2025 meeting with a cooperating witness, Brown allegedly discussed obtaining machinegun conversion device parts and arranging future firearms transactions.
When the conversation turned to the risks of being apprehended, Brown allegedly said “it’s going to suck for the officer(s),” and suggested he would make it appear that he was armed, according to court documents.
The statement is part of the allegations supporting the case. The charges announced against Brown concern unlicensed firearms dealing and possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The investigation began in July 2024 with an alleged sale in Tewksbury.
According to charging documents, Brown sold a privately made short-barreled rifle and ammunition for approximately $1,500 to an individual working with federal law enforcement.
Authorities allege that the initial transaction was followed by a series of additional sales over more than two years.
Those transactions allegedly included multiple short-barreled rifles, other privately made firearms, ammunition, firearm magazines and a suppressor. The buyer was working with federal investigators, according to the charging documents.
The distinction between a single transaction and repeated sales is central to the government’s account. Prosecutors allege that Brown continued arranging and completing firearms transactions while operating without the federal license required to engage in the business of dealing firearms.
According to court documents, Brown also lacked a Massachusetts license to carry firearms and a firearms identification card.
The allegations therefore involve both the business of selling guns and Brown’s ability to possess them in the first place.
Brown was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of a prior felony conviction. His criminal history includes a conviction in Essex Superior Court for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, for which he received a sentence of three to five years.
Prosecutors allege that he nevertheless possessed and sold firearms and ammunition during the period covered by the investigation.
Charging documents also address where some of the items originated. Several firearms allegedly contained components manufactured outside Massachusetts, and the ammunition Brown allegedly sold had traveled in interstate commerce.
The March 2025 conversation adds another element to the government’s account: Authorities say Brown was discussing possible future transactions and obtaining machinegun conversion device parts while the investigation was underway.
The information released describes that discussion but does not state that Brown completed a sale of such a device. The alleged completed transactions identified in the announcement involved privately made firearms, ammunition, magazines and a suppressor.
Brown faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on the charge of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. That charge also carries up to 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 a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Those are the potential penalties if he is convicted. A federal district court judge would determine any sentence under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statutes governing sentencing.
The case now moves to federal court in Worcester, with prosecutors alleging a sustained series of illegal firearms sales across Massachusetts by a man already barred from possessing the weapons.