BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – A Barnstable man was charged on Tuesday, June 15th in connection with selling three “ghost guns” to an undercover officer.
Jacob Linhares, 34, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of dealing firearms without a federal license. Linhares was detained following a detention hearing yesterday before U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley.
According to the criminal complaint, between May 25 and June 10, 2020, Linhares, sold three Privately Made Firearms (PMF) that he had personally fabricated to an undercover officer. PMFs are firearms that are not made by firearm manufacturers; instead, firearm manufactures sell individual buyers firearm parts, and the buyer uses various firearm drilling tools to construct and assemble the parts into a functional firearm. PMFs are also known as “ghost guns” because they are not serialized, and are thus, untraceable.
The charge of dealing firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Barnstable County District Attorney Michael D. O’Keefe; Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend; and Barnstable County Sheriff James M. Cummings made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
