United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), Bryan DiGirolamo, and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today that EDSON BROWN was sentenced to 135 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan for trafficking more than 100 guns from North Carolina and South Carolina to New York City.
“Our Office will do everything in our power to keep New Yorkers safe,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “Gun traffickers like Edson Brown fuel violent crime in New York City by putting guns into the hands of violent criminals. Today’s sentence protects New Yorkers and puts gun traffickers on notice that we and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue those who profit from gun crime and hold them accountable for the harm they cause.”
“Firearms trafficking puts guns into the hands of individuals who can use them to fuel violence in our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo. “Trafficking more than 100 firearms into New York City is not simply moving illegal guns—it is creating opportunities for those firearms to be used in violent crime. This 135-month sentence reflects the seriousness of that conduct and the importance of identifying and disrupting firearms trafficking networks. I commend the dedicated work of the ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. This is impactful work at the heart of ATF’s mission: stemming the illegal flow of firearms and reducing violent gun crime.”
“Edson Brown crossed state lines at least a dozen times to traffic more than 100 guns onto New York City streets,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “He then removed their serial numbers and sold the guns , knowing exactly what they would be used for. This is yet another example of the dangerous work that NYPD investigators do to make our communities safer—putting their lives at risk to shut down this operation. Thanks to our partners at the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District for their work on this case.”
As alleged in public court filings, statements in public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case:
Beginning in 2023, and continuing until he was arrested in February 2025, BROWN trafficked at least 115 handguns from North Carolina and South Carolina to New York City. BROWN made more than a dozen trips to North Carolina and South Carolina to buy guns and bring them back to New York. To purchase many of the guns he trafficked, BROWN used straw purchasers, i.e., individuals who could ostensibly buy guns legally in North Carolina and South Carolina. For others, BROWN used the identification of a straw purchaser in South Carolina to impersonate the straw purchaser and buy the guns himself. BROWN was arrested in February 2025 in South Carolina, after purchasing three additional guns to traffic back to New York.
Once the guns were in New York, BROWN removed their serial numbers using power tools and then sold the guns to others, including buyers whom he knew would possess and use the guns illegally. Already, the NYPD has recovered nine of the guns that BROWN trafficked, including one that was used in an armed robbery, another that was used to threaten a victim, and seven more that were illegally possessed in public.
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In addition to the prison term, BROWN, 37, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. McDonald thanked the ATF and the NYPD for their excellent work in this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations and Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Jones and Joseph H. Rosenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
Contact
Nicholas Biase, Shelby Wratchford
(212) 637-2600
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