Baltimore, Maryland – In a stunning turn of events, Jonathan M. Sutton, 36, from Chestertown, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to conspiring with Daniel P. Welch, also 36 and from Crumpton and Chestertown, to unlawfully obtain firearms for a felon.
Yesterday’s guilty plea by Welch, who was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms, follows Sutton’s admission to his role as the middleman in a series of illegal gun purchases.
The duo has been known since childhood. From 2011 to 2014, Sutton obtained six firearms for Welch through private sellers and straw purchases from a federally licensed dealer. A straw purchase is where an ineligible buyer uses another’s identity to legally purchase a firearm, which they then pass on to the actual intended recipient.
Welch, who has already served time as a convicted felon, admitted to withdrawing over $1,700 in cash from ATMs near a firearms dealer before selecting weapons for Sutton to buy. These included a Smith & Wesson MP5-22 and a Mossberg Persuada 500. The guns were then transferred to Welch.
Welch also confessed to breaking into a neighbor’s home on May 17, 2013, stealing a shotgun and other items. During a subsequent search at his residence, officers recovered the stolen shotgun, altered with a sawed-off barrel and removed serial number, along with two firearms received from Sutton.
Welch faces up to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon, while Sutton could serve five years for conspiracy. Sentencing is scheduled for April 2015.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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