BOSTON – A Brazilian national was sentenced in federal court in Boston for selling 11 firearms, including one equipped with a large capacity magazine and another with an obliterated serial number.
According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 32-year-old Guilherme Fernandes-Tavares was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris to four years in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In November 2025, Fernandes-Tavares pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license. Fernandes-Tavares was arrested in May 2024 in an unrelated state case. Fernandes-Tavares was charged in federal court by criminal complaint in March 2025 and subsequently indicted in July 2025.
Between January and May 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold firearms in Eastern Massachusetts. Specifically, on March 27, 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold a pistol with a high-capacity magazine capable of holding 29 rounds. On May 7, 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold a pistol with an obliterated serial number. When asked about the serial number, Fernandes-Tavares told a cooperating witness that Fernandes-Tavares’ source of the firearm required him to obliterate the serial number. In addition, Fernandes-Tavares sold nine other firearms to the cooperating witness during this time period…