August 26, 2011
ATF ARRESTS GUN STORE EMPLOYEE FOR SELLING STOLEN FIREARMS TO A CONVICTED FELON
DENVER – Conard Kern, age 27, of Denver, Colorado, was arrested late yesterday by Special Agents and task force officers with the ATF led Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force for crimes for multiple counts of providing firearms to a convicted felon, United States Attorney John Walsh, ATF Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson, and Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta announced. The arrest followed an investigation into the illegal trafficking, altering and selling of high powered firearms from Lakewood gun stores. In one instance, Kern, who worked as a part time employee of G&G Guns, assisted a female who stole two firearms from the gun store during the middle of the afternoon, walking out the front door with the weapons during business hours.
Kern made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Denver this afternoon, where a U.S. Magistrate Judge advised him of his rights and the charges pending against him, as well as the related penalties. Kern is due back in court on August 31st at 2:00 p.m. for a detention and preliminary hearing.
According to the affidavit in support of the Criminal Complaint, on numerous occasions Kern obtained weapons from various sources, including from one of three Lakewood gun stores. He would modify some of the firearms, including obliterating serial numbers and in the case of two weapons, converting them from semi-automatic to fully-automatic. He would then sell the firearms to convicted felons. In addition, on May 24, 2011, Kern was working at G&G Guns when a female looking at two high powered weapons walked out the front door during the middle of the afternoon without paying for the weapons. Further investigation reveals that he was working in concert with the woman who stole the weapons.
“The cooperative efforts of the ATF and the Lakewood Police Department have brought to an end this scheme to sell weapons, some modified to be fully-automatic, to convicted felons, and have resulted in the perpetrator being brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
“The ATF will not tolerate the trafficking of illegal firearms into our communities,” said Marvin Richardson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF in Denver. “We will continue with our mission in keeping the public safe by investigating all firearm related violent crime and arresting those who place the public in danger.”
“The partnership of the law enforcement agencies involved was instrumental in solving these crimes and stopping the individual from committing more offenses,” said Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta. “We appreciate and look forward to working with each of these agencies on a continual basis.”
If convicted, Kern faces not more than 10 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine for each of the two counts of unlawfully selling or otherwise disposing a firearm to a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Lakewood Police Department, as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative. The Denver Police Department and the Aurora Police Department are also participants on this task force.
The Criminal Complaint is a probable cause charging document. Anyone accused of committing a felony violation of federal law has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
These charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
####
