Charlotte Woman Is Sentenced To Prison For Dealing In Firearms Without A License

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kayrin English, 27, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for dealing in firearms without a license, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

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 records and today’s sentencing hearing, ATF agents learned that between February 2020 and August 2021, English had applied for 36 firearm purchase permits. ATF agents also learned that in September 2021, English had applied for an additional seven firearm purchase permits. ATF agents approached English when she arrived to collect the seven permits and conducted a consensual interview. During the interview, English told ATF agents that she would generally obtain the permits and use them to purchase firearms, which she would then resell for profit to individuals who were prohibited from owning or purchasing their own firearms. Court records show that English admitted to ATF agents that, since January 2021, she had illegally sold approximately 15 to 20 firearms. English also told ATF agents that most of the illegal firearms transactions were local, however, she had previously travelled to New Jersey where she sold several firearms she had purchased in Charlotte.

On October 31, 2023, English pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. She is currently released on bond and will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

The ATF led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.