The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office represents the Commonwealth in a myriad of cases in 12 district courts, 4 juvenile courts, and 2 superior courts located throughout the county.  Each court has its own designated team, staffed with talented and dedicated Assistant District Attorneys, Victim Witness Advocates, Paralegals and other professionals.

Victim Witness Advocates are assigned to work with assistant district attorneys in all of Middlesex County’s superior, district, and juvenile courts. In addition, specialized advocates are assigned to the Child Protection Unit, Elder and Disabled Persons Protection Unit, Appeals Bureau, Homicide and Unsolved Unit and the Domestic Violence Program.

The Community Partnerships Bureau is responsible for advancing the District Attorney’s public policy agenda through prevention and intervention programs, public-private partnerships, regional task forces, outreach and education, and county-wide awareness campaigns. The Bureau collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in an effort to improve the health and safety of those who live, work, and go to school in Middlesex County.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan is committed to innovative crime prevention and intervention initiatives. The District Attorney’s staff partners with community groups, educators, business owners, medical professionals, social service providers, and law enforcement officers to address a variety of public safety issues.

Acting as the voice of the office, the Communications Bureau is responsible for overseeing all public communication from the office, including media requests, writing and distributing press releases, and keeping the public informed of office initiatives, cases, and activities.

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Massachusetts State Police Colonel John E. Mawn, Jr. have confirmed that over the past month their offices have worked in partnership on investigations that have resulted in multiple seizures of firearms, including several ghost guns and parts and equipment used to manufacture ghost guns.

“We have recently seen multiple very concerning incidents involving ghost guns.  These firearms pose a very real threat to our communities, they are untraceable and those who possess and distribute these weapons are intentionally violating the gun laws we have in place in Massachusetts,” said District Attorney Ryan.  “In Middlesex we will continue to use every tool available to us, from enforcement and prosecution to working at a legislative level to close the existing loopholes that allow those without a gun license to possess the tools to make ‘do-it-yourself’ firearms”.

 On February 9, 2023, a trooper assigned to the Massachusetts State Police Andover barracks stopped a motor vehicle in Wilmington for alleged erratic operation.  During the stop, the trooper observed an ammunition magazine and the subsequent investigation revealed that the driver was in possession of a loaded 9mm Glock-style firearm with no serial number, commonly known as a ghost gun, along with magazines and ammunition for an AR-15 rifle.  The operator of the vehicle, Sean O'Connor, 37 of Woburn, was placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle after his license was suspended for operating under the influence.

As part of the ongoing investigation into this matter, police executed a search warrant at his Brentwood Lane home in Burlington, where they located multiple additional completed Glock-style ghost guns, along with frames and components of uncompleted handguns and AR-15-style rifles. Police also located a drill press and other tools used to fabricate ghost guns from those parts.

O’Connor was arraigned on February 9, 2023 on charges of possession of a firearm without a license, possession of a large capacity feeding device, improper storage of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, caring a large capacity firearm, possession of a large capacity feeding device, possession of a firearm without a license, subsequent offense, possession of ammunition without a license and operating with a suspended license.  The defendant was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing that was occurred last Friday, March 3.  At the hearing the defendant was ordered into pretrial custody after being found dangerous.  The next date in this case is March 31.

Items seized from Brentwood Lane Residence in Burlington

The investigation was conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Troop A, Massachusetts State Police STOP, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney General's Office, Homeland Security Investigations and Burlington Police and Fire Departments.

On February 24, 2023, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s and Detectives from the Woburn Police Department executed a search warrant at a Totman Drive residence in Woburn in connection with an ongoing "Ghost Gun" firearms manufacturing and trafficking investigation. At the residence, investigators seized a 3D printer, multiple 3D printed “Glock” style pistol frames, 3D printed magazine/feeding devices, several gun parts and tools used for manufacturing of firearms.  Police also located a quantity of pills stamped Xanax believed to be counterfeit “pressed” pills, and binding agents used in the manufacture process for pressed pills.  

While executing the search warrant, the officers found that the 3D printer was actively working on making a "Ghost Gun" lower pistol frame. 

As a result, the resident of the home and the subject of this investigation, Vincent Johns 32 of Woburn, was taken into custody without incident and charged with possession of a firearm without a license and trafficking firearms.

Items seized from Totman Drive residence in Woburn

This case was investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Woburn Police with specialized assistance from the Massachusetts State Police STOP Team, Crime Scene Services Section (CSSS), Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team (CLET) and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

“These cases are just two examples of a dangerous trend we are seeing involving firearms. In addition to the dangers to the public posed by unregistered and untraceable firearms, gun parts manufactured with 3D printers, similar to what we found in Woburn pose a particular risk to the user due to the fact that improper assembly or the use of plastic parts makes the guns likely to break apart or fire improperly upon use,” added District Attorney Ryan.

Upper and lower portion of a suspected ghost gun recovered at the scene of the fatal shooting that occurred on February 20 at a Washington Street in Woburn.  Specifically how the firearm is connected to the shooting remains under investigation.

As a result of seeing those trends across Middlesex County, this legislative session District Attorney Ryan has again partnered with State Representative David Linsky to spearhead An Act Relative to 3D Printed Weapons and “Ghost Guns”.  The legislation amends the current law to include definitions of “assembly,” “manufacture” and “frame or receiver” and to clarify that the definition of firearms includes frames or receivers and other 3D printed or do-it-yourself assembled guns. This proposal also adds a section prohibiting the manufacture or assembly of firearms that do not bear serial numbers.

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