PROVIDENCE, RI – A repeat offender with a penchant for illegal firearms is headed to federal prison. Walter Garbecki, 38, of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, received a three-year sentence Wednesday for building and stockpiling untraceable “ghost guns” while already prohibited from owning firearms due to prior felony convictions. The case highlights a growing trend of individuals circumventing gun laws by assembling firearms from kits purchased online.
Federal agents discovered Garbecki’s operation after learning he was illegally acquiring firearm triggers and “lower parts kits” – the essential components for constructing Glock-style pistols – through various websites between March and July of 2022. He wasn’t stopping at the guns themselves; Garbecki also ordered 2,480 rounds of ammunition, including 800 hollow point rounds, along with magazines, holsters, and maintenance supplies. The purchases were made despite his inability to legally buy firearms or ammunition from licensed dealers due to his criminal record.
“Whether they are purchased, stolen, or manufactured at home from an internet-ordered kit, federal law is clear: firearms do not belong in the hands of felons, and we will work tirelessly to take them, and the criminals who carry them, off of our streets,” stated U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. The investigation, a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, culminated in a raid on Garbecki’s home on September 20, 2022.
Agents seized a disturbing arsenal: four fully functioning “ghost guns,” two partially assembled, three silencers, approximately 1,500 rounds of live ammunition, and a cache of parts and kits used for continued illegal firearm construction. All of these items have been forfeited to the government and will be destroyed. Garbecki pleaded guilty on March 2, 2023, to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and possession of firearm mufflers or silencers. U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. handed down the 36-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.
This isn’t Garbecki’s first brush with the law. State court records reveal a 2019 conviction on charges including the sale or possession of silencers, unlawful devices attached to a semi-automatic weapon allowing automatic fire, possession of a firearm while delivering or manufacturing controlled substances, and drug trafficking. During that case, authorities seized an AR-15 style rifle that Garbecki had illegally modified. ATF Special Agent in Charge James Ferguson emphasized the agency’s commitment to pursuing these cases. “When individuals illegally manufacture firearms because they are unable to purchase them legally, ATF will continue to pour our resources into stopping these crimes in their tracks,” he said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service also highlighted the role of the mail in facilitating these crimes. Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated, “Walter Garbecki’s three-year sentence should serve as a warning to those who intend to misuse the U.S. Mail for this type of criminal activity.” The collaborative effort between the agencies sent a clear message: attempting to bypass gun laws through online purchases and home assembly won’t go unnoticed. The streets of Rhode Island are a little safer with this dangerous individual behind bars, but the fight against illegal firearms continues.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Rene, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Rhode Island 2016 · Rhode Island
- Isaiah Gasperini, Machine Gun Possession, Rhode Island 2012 · Rhode Island
- David Welch, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Rhode Island 2013 · Rhode Island
- Peter A. Laporte, Straw-Purchase of Firearms, Rhode Island 2012 · Nevada
- Lucas Soriano, Ghost Guns & False Statements, Providence RI, 2023 · New York
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