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Gardena Cops Sold Guns Illicitly
Two members of the Gardena Police Department were charged by a federal grand jury with participating in a scheme in which they purchased off-roader
firearms not available to the general public and illegally operated businesses that resold the weapons.
The indictment alleges that Carlos Miguel Fernandez, 42, and Edward Yasushiro Arao, 47, collectively sold approximately 100 firearms, mostly .38-caliber pistols. Fernandez had an Instagram handle of the38superman
and advertised firearms for sale on the platform. Arao, who was the CEO of Ronin Tactical Group, a federal firearms licensee, similarly advertised guns on the company’s Instagram account.
The indictment alleges that Fernandez purchased off-roader
firearms, mostly Colt .38-caliber handguns, and sold dozens of these weapons through private-party transfers. Arao obtained off-roader
weapons by transferring them to himself individually from the inventory of Ronin Tactical Group. The two defendants negotiated the prices and terms of firearm sales through messages on Instagram and other means.
The indictment in this case was unsealed Friday afternoon after two other defendants in the case were arraigned in federal court on charges that they engaged in a straw purchase
transaction involving a gun sold through Fernandez. Oscar Morales Camacho Sr., 63, and his son, Oscar Maravilla Camacho Jr., 34, allegedly purchased a firearm for Camacho Jr., who has a prior criminal conviction that prohibits him from possessing firearms.
The indictment alleges a second straw purchaser
transaction in which a South Los Angeles woman allegedly purchased two firearms for her boyfriend. Bianca Elizabeth Ibarria, 23, and Adalberto deJesus Vasquez Pelayo Jr., 24, are charged with making a false statement in a federal firearm licensee’s records during purchase of a firearm.
Each count in the indictment carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. If convicted of all charges, Fernandez would face up to 15 years in federal prison, and Arao could be sentenced to as much as 10 years.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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