Camden County, N.J., Man Admits Illegal Sale Of 14 Guns

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, N.J., man today admitted selling guns without a license and illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Eric J. Reed, 44, of Pennsauken, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to an Information charging him with one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of transferring a firearm to a previously convicted felon.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Between May 2012 and August 15, 2012, Reed bought 14 firearms from Pennsylvania gun shops and gun shows, which he then transferred for resale to his nephew, Ammie Steward, a/k/a “Beav,” a/k/a “B,” 37, of Pennsauken, a previously convicted felon who served a substantial prison term for manslaughter. Steward then resold the firearms.

Reed purchased the firearms in Pennsylvania after fraudulently obtaining a Pennsylvania driver’s license. The 14 firearms included five pistols, seven handguns, and two rifles. Steward sold them to a witness cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Reed also admitted to using a power tool to obliterate the serial numbers on the 14 guns. A number of the firearms were sold along with ammunition magazines, and seven of the guns were sold along with high-capacity magazines. On at least one occasion, Reed purchased and gave to Steward for resale a firearm (a Kel Tec PLR-16 .223-cal. pistol) along with a box of ammunition. On a separate occasion, Reed purchased and then transferred to Steward for resale a rifle that contained a bayonet. All 14 weapons are now in the custody of law enforcement.

On Dec. 19, 2012, Steward, pleaded guilty before Judge Bumb to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 25, 2013.

The illegal dealing count to which Reed pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the transfer of a firearm to a previously convicted felon charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2013.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Donald J. Soranno, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Pennsauken Police Department, under the direction of Chief John J. Coffey.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

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Defense counsel: Maggie Moy, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender

Reed Information