Mark Winston Pickrell and Aubrey Dean Bullard were sentenced March 12, 2018, for their roles in a ruthless underground firearms operation that flooded Augusta-area streets with illegal guns, including machine guns destined for criminals. The sentencing, delivered by Chief Judge J. Randal Hall in U.S. District Court, marks the end of a federal probe into a ring that brazenly traded in destruction.
Pickrell admitted to operating as an unlicensed gun dealer between March 2 and May 10, 2016, selling seven firearms—four of them machine guns—knowing they would likely be used in crimes. He pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license, violating 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A), and was sentenced to 56 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Bullard admitted to possessing and transferring two Sten 9 mm machine guns on May 10, 2016—weapons he personally test-fired to ensure functionality before sale. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, in violation of 26 U.S.C. §§ 5841, 5861(d), and 5871, and received 33 months in prison plus three years of supervised release.
The case involved five total defendants: Pickrell, Bullard, Danny Lee Thomas, Ralph Guemell Poole, and Christopher Earl Duckworth—all indicted in July 2017 on an eighteen-count federal indictment covering firearms and controlled substance violations. Each entered plea agreements admitting to their roles in the conspiracy. Thomas, Poole, and Duckworth were sentenced February 26, 2018, to 38, 120, and 188 months in prison, respectively, for their combined roles in gun trafficking and drug crimes.
“Individuals who are brazen enough to sell machine guns and drugs pose a clear and present danger and they must be removed from our streets,” said Resident Agent in Charge Timothy Graden of the ATF. U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine echoed the sentiment: “The United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia is committed to aggressively prosecuting violations of gun laws currently on the books.”
The investigation was a joint force of federal, state, and local agencies: ATF, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), North Augusta Department of Public Safety (NADPS), Aiken County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), Aiken Department of Public Safety (ADPS), Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Special Agent Ronald Rhodes led ATF’s efforts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons prosecuted. For more information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Related Federal Cases
- Gun Trafficking Ring Busted in Philly · South Carolina
- Covington Man Gets 15 Years for Stealing 24 Guns · Georgia
- LA AG Warns Banks on Firearm Purchase Tracking · Indiana
- Jeremy Carr, Jeter Cousins Indicted in DC Gun Smuggling Ring · Washington
- Trafficker Hiraldo Abreu Sentenced to 12 Years for Gun Ring · Rhode Island
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