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Dealer in Guns Without License Pleads Guilty
A former DEA Supervisory Special Agent has pleaded guilty to illegally selling firearms without a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Joseph Michael Gill, 42, of Tucson, Arizona, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Gill pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a licensee in federal court in Tucson, Arizona. He resigned from his position with the DEA on June 30, 2018. United States Magistrate Judge Lynnette C. Kimmins accepted the guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for November 26, 2018.
According to the affidavit for a search warrant for Gill’s residence, in December 2012, Gill applied for a Federal Firearms License with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but he subsequently withdrew the application. Subsequent to withdrawing that application, Gill purchased multiple firearms from licensed firearms dealers and sold them on the internet using the website Gunbroker.com.
Upon further investigation into Gill’s use of Gunbroker.com, ATF learned that Gill had engaged in approximately 645 transactions.
Gill purchased three Colt .223/5.56 caliber rifles from an online FFL located in Lexington, Kentucky, for a total of $1,896. He paid for the rifles on June 12, 2016, and picked them up on June 18 from a FFL in Sahuarita, Arizona. On July 27 and 28, 2016, Gill sold two of the rifles to two different individuals who he had reason to believe intended to use or dispose of the firearms unlawfully.
The case is being investigated by the ATF and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith Jr. of the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case. Gill’s actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law, putting innocent lives at risk. The guilty plea is a step towards justice for the victims of his actions.
Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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