Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BOSTON – A Brookline man was sentenced today for illegally possessing two privately made machine guns.  

Stewart Silvestri, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 42 months in prison. On July 19, Silvestri pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of machine guns. 

On Oct. 15, 2022, law enforcement responded to multiple calls about an erratic driver on Route 95 in Rowley, Massachusetts, who had pulled into a weigh station. Upon arriving at the weigh station, law enforcement approached the driver – Silvestri – who stated he had just come from an armory in New Hampshire. While asking for his license and registration, Silvestri was observed sitting on what appeared to be firearms. A subsequent search of the vehicle recovered 14 privately made firearms (also known as ghost guns), hundreds of rounds of ammunition and numerous firearm parts. Two of the firearms were fully automatic pistols, classified as machine guns.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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.

###