News Releases
PROSECUTORS, ATF COMBAT FIREARMS TRAFFICKING IN NORTH GEORGIA, OTHER STATES, AND OVERSEAS
October 6, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and Vanessa McLemore, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; and Explosives (ATF), announce a sentence and pleas in federal court this week involving multiple defendants charged with firearms trafficking. According to Nahmias and the documents and actions in federal courts in Atlanta this week:
•Today AMIIN MUHAMMED ABDULLAH, 60, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 1 year, 6 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. In April 2004 ABDULLAH illegally purchased seven handguns by providing false information on federal firearms forms to two federally licensed firearms dealers in Atlanta. ABDULLAH claimed that he was purchasing the handguns when, in fact, he was supplying the weapons to another individual. This practice is called “straw purchasing.” Three of the firearms were later recovered from crime scenes in Baltimore, Maryland.
•On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, DARRYL LAVERN SMITH, 48, of Riverdale, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a federal indictment charging conspiracy to provide false information on a federal firearms form to unlawfully obtain firearms SMITH was the last of the ten defendants charged in the case to enter a guilty plea. The indictment charged that, from late 2002 through mid-2003, co-defendant FREDERICK DOUGLAS HARRIS, 29, of Columbus, Georgia, purchased 24 firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in the Atlanta area, each time indicating that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms, when in fact he was purchasing the firearms for other co-defendants in the case. They paid HARRIS to purchase the firearms for them to circumvent federal laws requiring a firearm’s actual buyer to provide information required to purchase a firearm and to submit to an instant background check. Three of the co-defendants also paid HARRIS to illegally ship the firearms to them outside of the state of Georgia. HARRIS illegally purchased two firearms for ARNOLD “A.J.” SMITH, 28, of Newburgh, New York, and shipped them to SMITH in New York. A.J. SMITH and HARRIS conspired to purchase one firearm for DANNY CRONIN, 22, of Highland Falls, New York, and to ship it to CRONIN in New York. A.J. SMITH and HARRIS also conspired to purchase four firearms for JONATHAN IORIO, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and to ship them to IORIO in Philadelphia. The other co-defendants are ROBERT TREVELL WALKER, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia; SYDNEY GEORGE ROBINSON, 28, of Chicago, Illinois; GABE PROBY, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia; JOHN F. WILSON, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia; and TROY DESEAN OWENS, 31, of Tucker, Georgia. All defendants earlier pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and to aiding and abetting the offense. Each of these defendants face sentences of a maximum of ten years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. United States District Judge Richard W. Story has not yet scheduled sentencings for the defendants.
•On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, GEORGE APPIAH, 28, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to illegal straw purchases of weapons ultimately shipped to Ghana. On November 15, 2004, APPIAH purchased three firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Gwinnett County. APPIAH said the firearms purchases were really for a man named ANTHONY OPOKU. A few weeks before APPIAH purchased the firearms, he met OPOKU at a gun store in the north metro area of Atlanta. APPIAH said OPOKU asked him to purchase three specific firearms. A trial date for OPOKU has not yet been set by the court.
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said of these cases: “Straw purchasers obtain firearms for persons who cannot legally possess guns, including convicted felons. This puts communities here and elsewhere at risk, as shown by the fact that these guns are often later found at crime scenes. We will continue to do all we can to deter and punish those who participate in this illegal activity. Buying firearms for someone else simply is not worth the risk.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Vanessa McLemore said, “ATF has been warning the public for years of the criminal violations and repercussions of falsely purchasing firearms for someone else, particularly for prohibited persons. It’s plain and simple, Don’t Lie for the Other Guy. But if you do, then ATF will seek indictment, arrest and prosecution. We intend to stop the violence.”
These cases are being investigated by Special Agents of the ATF.
Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Jones, Sheila Arnum, and Todd Alley are prosecuting the cases.
For further information please contact David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney or F. Gentry Shelnutt, Chief, Criminal Division, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.