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Gun Trafficking Scheme Cracked in NYC
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito, and NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announced a third superseding indictment charging nine defendants with conspiracy to commit gun trafficking and gun trafficking in connection with a scheme to illegally transport firearms from Georgia for resale to residents of New York.
The indictment charges James Thomas, a/k/a “Spazz,” Duvaughn Wilson, a/k/a “Dupree,” Courtney Schloss, a/k/a “Bway,” a/k/a “Balenci,” Ken Alexander, a/k/a “Ryu,” Argam Taj, a/k/a “Sour,” Samuel Taj, a/k/a “Sosa,” Christopher Machado, a/k/a “Chris Elite,” Harlie Ramos, a/k/a “White Girl,” and Jamel Thomas, a/k/a “Mel,” with conspiracy to commit gun trafficking and gun trafficking. Thomas, Wilson, and Schloss were also charged with interstate travel with intent to engage in gun trafficking.
According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, from at least in or around August 2020 up to and including April 2021, the defendants used Georgia resident Duvaughn Wilson, a/k/a “Dupree,” as a straw purchaser to buy at least 87 firearms from at least six federal firearms licensees (“FFLs”) in Georgia. Over the course of the scheme, during which Wilson completed approximately 30 different transactions, Wilson attested that he was the true purchaser of the firearms, when in fact he was buying the guns on behalf of the defendants, who in turn illegally resold many of the guns to others.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said, “Today’s arrests shut down the alleged gun pipeline of these nine defendants. These arrests should also send a message to anyone who is thinking about illegally selling guns to New Yorkers or illegally bringing guns to New York: We and our law enforcement partners are watching. And we will prosecute gun traffickers to the fullest extent of the law.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito said, “The individuals named in the indictment are alleged to have participated in a trafficking scheme which flooded our New York City Streets with illegal firearms. Combatting firearms trafficking lies at the heart of ATF’s strategy to stop violent gun crime. Exploitation of Crime Gun Intelligence along with effective collaboration with our law enforcement partners will allow us to disrupt and dismantle groups such as this that in turn fuel the violence in our communities. I would like to thank the New York Police Department for their partnership on this case and the United States Attorney’s Office for their leadership.”
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said, “The NYPD continues to work closely with our law enforcement partners to drive down gun violence and stop the trafficking of illegal firearms in New York City. I commend the work of the investigators and prosecutors whose hard work resulted in these arrests, firearms seizures, and indictment.”
Jamel Thomas and Argam Taj were arrested this morning in SDNY and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger later today. Ken Alexander was arrested this morning in the District of Massachusetts and will be presented before a magistrate judge in Boston later today. Wilson, Schloss, and James Thomas were previously charged; Schloss and James Thomas are currently in custody. Harlie Ramos, Samuel Taj, and Christopher Machado remain at large.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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