United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced that Matthew L. Stephen Easton, a federally licensed firearms dealer from Melrose, has pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking. Easton could face up to 15 years in federal prison, with sentencing set for January 24, 2025.
Easton's co-defendants, Derick Yamir Perez Diaz of Orlando and Ernesto Vasquez of Kissimmee, have also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each face a maximum sentence of 15 years and are scheduled for sentencing on March 25 and April 8, 2025, respectively.
According to the plea agreements, Easton supplied Perez Diaz with large quantities of firearms while aware that Perez Diaz was operating without a license. Perez Diaz then trafficked these weapons to Vasquez who resold them and smuggled them out of the country. The operation between October and December 2023 involved over 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles.
Vasquez and Perez Diaz further admitted to trafficking machinegun conversion devices. On April 18, 2024, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Vasquez’s residence uncovering multiple firearms, ammunition stockpiles, and grenades.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. Since May 26, 2021, the Department's strategy has focused on fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes effectively.