A Massachusetts resident has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for firearms trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm. Gicliff Rodriguez, 24, received a sentence of 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe. Rodriguez had pleaded guilty in May 2025 to firearms trafficking and possession of firearms by a prohibited person. His co-defendant, Rachael Cummings, was previously sentenced to 12 months of probation on June 30, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan stated, “Federal law is clear: if you are prohibited from possessing a firearm, you cannot try to get around that restriction by having someone else buy one for you. This defendant’s actions put the public in danger, and we will continue to prosecute those who attempt to sidestep the law at the expense of public safety.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo added, “The illegal trafficking firearms always poses a risk to the public. Rodriguez placed firearms in the hands of criminals who used them to commit acts of violence. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of that risk to the public and should serve as a warning to everyone that the unlawful trafficking of firearms will not be tolerated. ATF also commends the exemplary work of our partners at the Lowell Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.”
Court records show that in February 2024, Rodriguez and Cummings traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire so Cummings could purchase three semiautomatic weapons for Rodriguez at a firearms store. As a convicted felon, Rodriguez was not allowed to own or possess guns. Authorities later recovered two out of three handguns purchased for him after they were used in violent crimes committed in Massachusetts.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation with support from local police. Assistant U.S Attorney Matthew T. Hunter prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, which uses resources from multiple Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address violent crime and illegal gun activity nationwide.
