CHARLOTTE, N.C. – George Bates, 55, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release for gun trafficking, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell also ordered Bates to pay a $10,000 fine.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and court proceedings, between 2020 and 2022, Bates legally purchased dozens of firearms, which he then sold illegally to other individuals. Court documents show that Bates, who was not licensed to deal in firearms, did not make an effort to ensure he was not selling the firearms to prohibited persons. On the contrary, court records show that some of the firearms Bates sold were used to commit other crimes, including shootings.

On March 4, 2024, Bates pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. Bates must report to the Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

The ATF handled the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.