North Las Vegas Man Indicted For Selling Firearms Including Assault Rifles Without A Federal Firearms License

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A federal grand jury indicted a North Las Vegas man today for illegally purchasing and reselling firearms over a two-year period, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Charles Martin Ellis, 64, an unlicensed dealer in firearms, was charged with one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of the transfer or sale of a firearm to a non-resident.

The charges stem from an ATF investigation conducted after a convicted felon shot and killed a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Deputy and shot and wounded two California Highway Patrol Investigators. The shooter used a Zastava 7.62mm caliber pistol sold by Ellis to another individual. The investigation also revealed guns sold by Ellis were used in other crimes in Nevada and California.

According to allegations contained in the indictment, from January 1, 2016, to February 1, 2018, Ellis bought and quickly resold over 250 firearms, such as AR-15 and AK-47 style assault pistols, without a Federal Firearms License (FFL). He is alleged to have sold firearms to Nevada residents and to individuals he knew or had reasonable cause to know were residents of other states.

The maximum statutory penalty is 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being investigated by the ATF’s Sacramento field office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns is prosecuting the case.

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