Charles Brent Justice, Federal Firearms Charges, New Mexico 2023

Charles Brent Justice Sentenced to Prison for Federal Firearms Charges

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Charles Brent Justice, 28, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling goods into the United States, unlawful importation of a firearm, and possession of a firearm not registered with the National Firearms Act Registration and Transfer Record.

According to the plea agreement and other court records, on February 7, 2020, while stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, Justice imported a silencer, which was deceptively described as an "inline filter," knowing that the silencer was illegal. Justice also admitted to possessing functional silencers that he knew were not registered under the National Firearms Act.

Justice purchased the firearm silencer over the internet from China. Agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted the device while in transit through the mail. Justice did not have the required tax stamp or proper authority to possess and transport weapons under the National Firearms Act.

Justice also previously received shipments of other illegal devices, including a "butt-stock" designed to convert a pistol into a short-barreled rifle and an "auto-sear" designed to allow a pistol to function as a machine gun.

Upon his release from prison, Justice will be subject to three years of supervised release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case with the Department of the Air Force, Office of Special Investigations and Homeland Security Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jon K. Stanford and Nicholas Mote prosecuted the case.

Related Federal Cases