Three Southern California men who allegedly purchased more than 120 firearms in Utah and illegally sold them in California were arrested Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Department of Justice announced.
The federal criminal complaint claims that the men, a 37-year-old from Helendale, a 45-year-old from South Gate and a 35-year-old from Hemet, made frequent trips to Utah to buy approximately 123 firearms between November 2022 and July 2024.
The men used fake driver’s licenses or ID cards with a Utah address to purchase the weapons, since Utah-based licensed firearm dealers cannot sell to California residents. Eighty-one of the firearms were purchased through an informal Utah-based online gun exchange.
The trio would advertise the firearms to other people at marked-up prices. Sometimes, the guns were advertised to a middleman who was dealing guns to other people.
“Illegally sold guns often end up being used in violent crime and other serious offenses,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “It is imperative to protecting our community that we aggressively prosecute those who put all of us at risk by illegally trafficking in firearms.”
