Orlando
AI Assisted Icon
Published on January 13, 2025
Gun Dealers' Guilty Plea Uncovers Vast Illegal Arms Trade in Melrose; Firearms Funneled to Unlicensed IndividualsSource: U.S. Department of Justice

A federal firearms dealer from Melrose has entered a guilty plea in a case of gun trafficking, facing up to 15 years in prison. Matthew L. Stephen Easton, 35, was charged with supplying a large cache of firearms to an unlicensed individual, effectively fueling the illegal gun trade. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that Easton’s sentencing hearing is slated for January 24.

The plea agreement details reveal that Easton knowingly provided firearms to Derick Yamir Perez Diaz, 22, despite his lack of a necessary license. In a span stretching from October to December 2023, an alarming quantity of firearms, including over 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles, were illegally trafficked. Perez Diaz was actively involved in this illicit network, eventually passing guns to Ernesto Vasquez, 23, who is reported to have smuggled them beyond U.S. borders. In an attempt to prominently highlight the gravity of their offenses, Vasquez and Perez Diaz have also pleaded guilty, candidly admitting to trafficking in machinegun conversion devices.

On April 18, 2024, law enforcement agents descended upon Vazquez's residence and unearthed a worrying assortment of weapons, ammunition, and even grenades. According to information obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, this investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill are the figures behind the prosecution.