Press Release  AG's Office Secures Guilty Pleas From Former State Senator Dean Tran

FITCHBURG — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today announced that it has secured guilty pleas from former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran, age 49, of Fitchburg, for stealing a firearm from an elderly constituent and misleading investigators about what happened. On Monday, Tran pled guilty to Larceny of a Firearm, Misleading Law Enforcement in a Criminal Investigation, and Filing an Application for a License to Carry Containing False Information. Tran was sentenced to six months in the Worcester House of Correction on each of the three charges, to be served concurrently with each other and with the federal sentence he is currently serving. The remaining three charges were dismissed in consideration of the agreed plea.  

According to the AGO, Tran used his position of trust as a public official to take advantage of an elderly constituent who had called him for help in June of 2019. Tran convinced the constituent into parting with her late husband’s firearm collection and gave her approximately $1,500 in cash for at least eight guns. When asked to return the firearms over that weekend, he did, but then came back early on Monday morning while the constituent was home alone and stole a Colt .45 pistol from the firearm collection.

When interviewed by the police about the incident, Tran gave several conflicting stories in an effort to mislead the police investigation. Tran also made false statements on his May 2019 license-to-carry renewal application.

Tran’s jury trial was scheduled to begin on Monday.  

This case was prosecuted by Managing Attorney Gretchen Brodigan of the AGO’s Enterprise and Major Crimes Division and Senior Victim Witness Advocate Megan Murphy. Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AGO, the AGO’s Digital Evidence Laboratory, and the Fitchburg Police Department all provided valuable assistance in the investigation.  

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