Reno, Nev. - A federal jury convicted a Washington State man yesterday of one count of Dealing in Firearms Without a License and three counts of Illegal Sales of a Firearm to an Out of State Resident, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

DOUG BROWN, age 60, of Longview, Washington, is facing five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. He was Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on May 12, 2004.

The case was investigated as part of an effort dubbed "Operation Over The Line," an undercover criminal investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which focused on the illegal sale of firearms in Nevada. On May 21, 2004, nine individuals were arrested in California, Utah, Idaho, and Washington, and charged with offenses such as, Dealing in Firearms Without a License, Illegal Sales of Firearms, Possession of Machine Guns, Possession of Firearms by Prohibited Persons, and Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon. Five other individuals were indicted as part of the same Operation.

The operation was initiated when there were indications that firearms sold at Nevada gun shows were being illegally trafficked in California, some of which were recovered by law enforcement after being used in criminal activity. BROWN unlawfully sold five handguns to two individuals at the November 2003 and April 2004 Big Reno Gun Shows.

Federal firearms laws provide that only licensed dealers may engage in the business of dealing in firearms. They also prohibit licensed dealers of firearms to sell or transfer firearms to individuals who do not reside in the state in which they hold their license. Federal laws further prohibit the possession, sale or transfer of machine guns or semiautomatic assault weapons, and the possession of firearms by felons, fugitives, persons addicted to controlled substances, persons adjudicated as mental defectives, persons unlawfully in the United States, persons discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions, persons under the control of domestic violence restraining orders, and persons who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. A law prohibiting the possession of body armor by violent felons became effective on November 2, 2002.

DOUG BROWN is released on bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 31, 2005, at 10:00 a.m.

The case was investigated by Special Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul Pugliese.

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