Lowell Man Sentenced to Prison for Gun Trafficking

BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for firearms trafficking charges. 

Isael Rodriguez, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In January 2024, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer. 

In January 2021 and June 2021, Rodriguez purchased a dozen Glock pistols from a licensed dealer for $500 each, falsely claiming that he was purchasing them for himself. Rodriguez then resold the firearms for profit to individuals in Massachusetts. Rodriguez is not a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer and Glock firearms are only allowed to be sold to active law enforcement officers.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Lowell Superintendent of Police Gregory C. Hudon; Brookline Police Chief Jennifer M. Paster; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda I. Perez made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.