Garland Man Melvin Yip Cops Plea, 30 Months for Illegal Gun Sales

Garland man Melvin Yip, 31, is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to running an illegal firearms business out of the Dallas metro area. Yip was sentenced today to 30 months behind bars and slapped with a $3,000 fine for dealing guns without a license, a felony under federal law.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay in Dallas, marks the end of a federal probe that exposed Yip’s underground operation. Court records show he admitted to trafficking firearms in September 2015 while holding no federal license—directly violating the Gun Control Act, which bars unlicensed individuals from engaging in the repeated sale of guns.

Yip’s guilty plea in April 2016 opened the door to today’s judgment. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Wirmani, built the case on admissions and evidence gathered by federal agents. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation, tracking patterns consistent with black-market arms dealing.

Judge Lindsay ordered Yip to report to the Bureau of Prisons on January 24, 2017, giving him a narrow window before surrendering to federal custody. No plea deal reduced the core charge, underscoring federal prosecutors’ hard line on illegal gun trafficking, especially in regions with high firearm-related violence.

While no specific number of firearms was cited in the DOJ release, the charge of “engaging in the business” of firearms sales implies repeated transactions—an operation, not a one-off. Federal law defines this as advertising, buying, selling, or brokering guns as a regular course of business, requiring strict licensing and record-keeping Yip bypassed entirely.

The case adds to a growing tally of illegal gun dealer convictions in North Texas, as federal agencies crack down on unlicensed vendors feeding weapons into criminal networks. U.S. Attorney John Parker reaffirmed the office’s commitment to prosecuting underground arms traffickers, calling such operations a direct threat to public safety.