NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — A 37-year-old man from the Bronx pleaded guilty to trafficking firearms into New York, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday.
Edson Brown was charged with an 18-count indictment for purchasing firearms illegally in North Carolina and South Carolina and selling them back in New York.
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The trafficking happened between July 2023 and February 2025, prosecutors say. Brown, a convicted felon, was not allowed to purchase or possess guns.
Brown was able to acquire weapons by using a straw purchaser who stated they were buying the guns legally for their own use and not for Brown, prosecutors say.
The NYPD recovered seven guns that were trafficked, many of which were defaced, prosecutors say. The NYPD firearms lab was able to restore the serial numbers and track the guns back to North Carolina and South Carolina.
Officials said that over 100 guns remain unrecovered, or if any had been recovered, they may be untraceable if their serial numbers cannot be restored.
The 18-count indictment includes conspiracy to traffic firearms, firearms trafficking, unlicensed dealing of firearms, and unlicensed transportation of firearms.
Brown will be sentenced at a later date.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.
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