Tyrell Taylor Sentenced to 10 Years for Orchestrating Straw Gun Purchases

Tyrell Taylor, a 29-year-old Philadelphia man, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment for directing people to straw purchase guns and then reselling those weapons on the streets of Philadelphia.

According to the Department of Justice, Taylor and his co-conspirators illegally purchased well over 60 firearms in less than six months from gun stores in the Philadelphia area. More than 20 of those firearms were recovered after being used in crimes, including at least nine guns that were used in shootings. Some of the guns were converted to fully automatic firing, some had large-capacity magazines, and some had obliterated serial numbers.

Taylor was charged in a 28-count indictment with conspiracy and aiding and abetting false statements to a federal firearms licensee. He pleaded guilty to all charges against him on November 2, 2023.

“Philadelphia is already awash in illegal guns and Taylor flooded the streets with over 60 more,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “We know that many of these weapons were sold to convicted felons who weren’t allowed to have them, and a number were used in violent crimes. The straw-purchasing and trafficking of firearms like this directly contributes to our city’s gun violence crisis and its ever-growing list of victims. I hope that Taylor’s lengthy sentence sends a message that these are very serious crimes, and their perpetrators will be held fully accountable.”

As part of his sentence, Taylor will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $2,800 special assessment. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander B. Bowerman and Assistant United States Attorney Justin Oshana. “As this case vividly demonstrates, trafficking firearms puts guns in the hands of dangerous criminals,” said Eric J. DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Too often we find that the guns used in shootings and recovered in crime scenes were illegally obtained through straw purchases. Buying a gun for someone who isn’t allowed to have one puts your neighbors, friends, and families at risk. It is also a federal offense that can land you in prison for years.”