Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BOSTON – A Randolph man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for two firearms offenses.

Levenson Merilus, 29, of Randolph, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to time served and two years of supervised release. In issuing this sentence, Judge Casper cited Merilus’s successful completion of the Court-run RISE (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge) Program, which is designed to aid in the rehabilitation of applicable defendants who have pleaded guilty and are under pretrial supervision prior to sentencing.

In February 2020, Merilus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and one count of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer.

Between February and March 2019, Merilus conspired with co-defendant Charles Slayden Jr. to purchase firearms and re-sell them for profit to individuals in Boston. Specifically, Merilus purchased at least seven guns from a licensed dealer, falsely claiming to be purchasing them for himself.

Slayden previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December 2020 to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Christopher S. Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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