Crime

Littleton gun dealer charged with selling guns — later found at a crime scene — that he knew would go to an underage man

The guns were found in the home of a 20-year-old who had just been involved in a shooting in Hyde Park.

By Susannah Sudborough

January 20, 2023

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A Littleton gun dealer is facing federal charges for allegedly selling guns to a so-called straw buyer he knew was buying for an underage man after the guns were discovered at a Boston crime scene.

Cory Daigle, 28, of Revere, operates his shop, Steelworks Defense Solutions, out of an old mill in Littleton that houses around 80 federally licensed gunmakers and dealers known for skirting around the state’s strict gun laws, the Boston Globe reported last year.

The guns were found after the underage man, 20-year-old Gustavo Rodriguez, was involved in a shooting in Hyde Park in November 2022 that injured three people. After the shooting, police searched his home and reported finding the firearms.

This is the first time the Littleton gun mill has been linked to Boston street crime.

The charges

Daigle has been charged with conspiracy to make false statements with respect to the acquisition of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.

The two other men involved, 21-year-old Shakim Grant, of Boston, and Rodriguez, were also charged with conspiracy to make false statements with respect to the acquisition of a firearm. Additionally, Grant was charged with making false statements with respect to the acquisition of a firearm.

“The surge of gun violence in our cities is being fueled by individuals who circumvent the law and put firearms in the wrong hands. Our mission is clear and we will continue working with our partners to stop the flow of illegal firearm transfers that fuel the cycles of violence,” James Ferguson, an FBI special agent who worked on the case, said in a news release about the arrests.

The Globe could not reach Daigle or Grant for comment on the charges. An attorney for Rodriguez told the paper his client has no prior criminal record and plans to plead not guilty to the charges.

How the guns were discovered

The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the news release that after a shooting Rodriguez was involved in in Hyde Park in November 2022, Boston police searched his home and found many guns and gun parts.

During the search, Grant came to the home and allegedly told police the guns and gun parts belonged to him, not Rodriguez, and that he was storing the guns there, the DA’s Office said. Police said they later discovered that Rodriguez and Grant had concocted this story a few hours before the search.

Boston police reported finding through their investigation that Grant had bought three Glock pistols and ammunition for Rodriguez, the DA’s Office said. Rodriguez does not have a license to possess or carry firearms and is too young to own a gun per Massachusetts law.

The DA’s Office alleges that Grant bought the guns from Daigle. According to the Globe, Daigle knew that Grant was a straw buyer, and that the sale happened Oct. 27, 2022, about two weeks before the Hyde Park shooting.

Federal law prohibits gun dealers from knowingly selling guns to anyone other than the person who will own it, and requires that that person be federally licensed. It is also illegal for gun dealers in Massachusetts to sell Glocks to anyone but police.

“At the end of that day I needed the … cash to pay my distributor,” the Globe reported Daigle saying in court documents.

Police discover more guns

The DA’s Office said that during a search of Daigle’s home, police allegedly found several other guns and gun parts which were seized. According to the Globe, they seized 95 firearms “scattered throughout the house and seemingly in no order.”

The Globe reported that most of the guns he was selling through his business were in his home. It is illegal in Massachusetts for gun businesses to operate out of their homes.

Daigle and Rodriguez were arrested Wednesday morning and were arraigned in a federal court in Boston, the DA’s Office said. Grant remains at large. 

The charge of possession of a machine gun can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to a $250,000.

The charge of false statements with respect to the acquisition of a firearm can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to a $250,000. 

The Littleton gun mill

The Littleton gun mill is the largest emporium of gun vendors in the country, according to the Globe.

September’s Globe investigation of the mill found that of the 32 mill shops it visited or found selling guns online, 25 were selling guns such as AR-15s or the parts to assemble them. Both of these actions are against state law.

Littleton Police Chief Matthew Pinard told the Globe that federal agents haven’t audited all the dealers in the mill yet, but “are in and out of the mill on a regular basis” and have yet to press charges against any of them.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not respond to the Globe’s request for comment on the charges against Daigle.