BOSTON – A Taunton man was arrested today for allegedly manufacturing and dealing firearms without license, including ghost guns.
William Viera, 33, was charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license. Following an initial appearance today in federal court in Boston before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley, Viera was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Aug. 22, 2022.
According to the charging documents, beginning in or around April 2022, federal agents identified Viera as an illegal firearms dealer and ghost gun manufacturer. Ghost guns, or privately made firearms (PMFs), are firearms assembled or otherwise produced by a person other than a licensed manufacturer, often without a serial number. In April 2022, through the use of a cooperating witness, agents contacted Viera about available firearms. It is alleged that in the communications, Viera stated he owned a 3D printer which he used to manufacture PMFs, including a Glock-style PMF. Viera also allegedly made completed firearms from unfinished firearms kits, and sold the completed firearms to other individuals. The cooperating witness subsequently met with Viera at his residence on multiple occasions, where Viera was allegedly observed in possession of a Glock-style PMF. Between July 15, 2022, and Aug. 8, 2022, Viera sold three Glock style PMFs and ammunition to the cooperating witness during three separate controlled purchases.
Viera does not possess a federal firearms license and is prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions, including a 2012 conviction in Bristol County for armed robbery for which he was sentenced to two to five years in prison.
The charge of dealing in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to 5 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Taunton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.