Gregory Leary, Illegal AR-15 Manufacturing, Connecticut 2023

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Gregory Leary, 35, of Wolcott, Connecticut, is headed to federal prison for 30 months after admitting to a prolific, unlicensed operation manufacturing and dealing AR-15-style assault rifles. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the sentence today, along with a $2,000 fine and two years of supervised release. Leary’s basement became a ghost gun factory, pumping out weapons destined for who knows where.

According to court documents, between January and March of 2022, Leary was assembling Polymer80 firearms kits – the notorious build-your-own rifle components – at his Wolcott home. He wasn’t building these weapons for sport. He supplied eight complete AR-15-style rifles, each equipped with collapsible stocks and high-capacity 30-round magazines, to a single individual. The operation also included a “P80” 9mm semi-automatic handgun, fully loaded, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

What makes this case particularly disturbing is the complete lack of serial numbers on the assembled firearms. These “ghost guns” are untraceable, making them prime tools for criminals. Leary pleaded guilty on June 13th, confessing to manufacturing and distributing over 25 firearms to the same shadowy buyer, knowing full well they weren’t destined for legal ownership. He wasn’t interested in who was getting these guns, just the cash.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with significant support from the Connecticut State Police Statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force, and various local police departments including Bridgeport, Shelton, and Waterbury. They traced the flow of these illegal weapons and built a case against Leary, demonstrating the dangers of unregulated firearm assembly.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Rahul Kale are prosecuting the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative focused on reducing violent crime. PSN isn’t just about arrests and convictions; it’s about a collaborative approach involving law enforcement, community groups, and reentry programs. But in this case, the focus was squarely on taking a dangerous operator off the streets.

Leary’s sentence sends a message, though whether it’s a strong enough one remains to be seen. The proliferation of ghost guns is a growing national crisis, and while this conviction removes one manufacturer from the equation, countless others are still operating in the shadows. The ATF and its partners will need to maintain constant pressure to stem the flow of these illegal weapons and keep them out of the hands of those who would do harm.

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