Brazilian National Pleads Guilty to Firearm Trafficking
Defendant was Previously Deported, Returned to the U.S., and Allegedly Sold Firearms and Ammunition Illegally
BOSTON – A Brazilian national, who previously resided in Malden, pleaded guilty today to immigration and firearms crimes.
Vanderlei Rodrigues DeAraujo, a/k/a Neneco, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license, two counts of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of illegal reentry of a previously deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 21, 2021. De Araujo was arrested in May 2019 and has been in custody since.
De Araujo, a citizen and national of Brazil, was deported to Brazil on Aug. 18, 2011. Sometime after his 2011 removal, De Araujo illegally reentered the United States and took up residence in Malden using the name “Neneco.” Between Sept. 6, 2018 and Jan. 28, 2019, De Araujo illegally negotiated with and sold firearms and ammunition to a third party. In May 2019, De Araujo was arrested, and his fingerprints were found to match prints in his Alien file as a previously deported alien.
The charge of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being an alien in possession of firearm and ammunition carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a previously deported alien carries a sentence of up to two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Todd Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office, made announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division and the Malden Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth G. Shine, Evan Gotlob and Lindsey Weinstein of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
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