Convicted Felon Sentenced to 42 Months in Federal Prison for His Role in a Straw Purchasing Conspiracy and Illegal Possession of Firearms

CONCORD – A convicted felon was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring with straw purchasers to buy him firearms, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Mario Marques, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Joseph Laplante to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On December 4, 2023, Marques pleaded guilty to conspiring to make false statements during the acquisition of firearms, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“The defendant as a felon was prohibited from possessing guns. Yet, he was undeterred by the law in his criminal pursuit as he recruited others to purchase guns for him,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.  “The firearms Marques illegally possessed and sold were recovered during investigations of drug trafficking and shooting crimes. His customers included juveniles, gang members, and criminals. As evident from today’s sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to target those that perpetuate violence in our communities.”

"Far too often, the firearms that law enforcement officers seize during the commission of violent crimes, originate from straw purchasers,” said James M. Ferguson Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Boston Field Division. “In order to combat gun violence, we need to attack it at its source, which is straw purchasing. Mr. Marques' sentence ensures our entire community that they are a bit safer knowing he will be serving time in prison for his crimes. This is a great outcome, thank you to our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Between September 30 and November 20, 2021, Marques solicited straw purchasers to obtain firearms for him from multiple federally licensed firearms dealers in New Hampshire.  Marques is a convicted felon and is legally prohibited from purchasing firearms himself.  In obtaining the firearms, Marques selected the guns in advance for the straw purchasers to buy for him.  On several occasions, Marques accompanied a straw purchaser to a firearms dealership, where the straw purchaser lied on the forms required to purchase the guns by saying he was buying the guns for himself, when he was really buying them for Marques. 

Among other guns, Marques possessed a Springfield Armory Model XD .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol purchased in New Hampshire during the course of the conspiracy.  Law enforcement officers recovered the Springfield Armory pistol on June 3, 2022 during investigation of a separate crime in Brockton, Massachusetts.  Marques sold this firearm, as well as other firearms that straw purchasers bought for him, to other individuals, including gang members, who used the guns in connection with crimes. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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