ABUSE OF POWER

Former Lawmaker Charged in Bizarre Plot to Steal Elderly Woman’s Guns

Authorities say the ex-state senator made the woman sign a pre-prepared contract to buy her late husband’s guns, stole another firearm, and then lied to investigators.

Former Massachusetts state Sen. Dean Tran really wanted a gun in 2019. In fact, he wanted one so bad that he allegedly intimidated an elderly constituent—whose late husband was a gun owner—into signing a pre-prepared contract and pay her $1,500 in cash for them, prosecutors say. When she asked him to return the guns the next day, Tran went and stole a Colt .45 from a safe in her home while she hid in her bedroom, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Later, when investigators caught on, he allegedly gave conflicting stories. First, he denied ever buying the guns, then he produced the contract, prosecutors said. Throughout the investigation, the state’s attorney general said he tried to say the woman wasn’t mentally well. Tran now faces a slew of charges, including larceny and misleading a police investigation.