News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
March 11, 2008
Cranston gun dealer pleads guilty to illegally selling handguns
Anthony Mancini, a federally licensed gun dealer, pleaded guilty today to selling firearms at his Cranston shop without proper record keeping. In November and December, Mancini sold handguns to a man but documented that a female companion of the buyer was the actual purchaser, an illegal practice known as straw-buying. Both customers were undercover federal agents.
United States Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced the guilty plea, which Mancini entered today before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith in U.S. District Court, Providence.
At the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch said the government could prove that Mancini masked three gun sales with false documentation. On November 1, a female undercover ATF agent and a male undercover DEA agent went to Continental Gun Engraving, Mancini’s dealership on Park Avenue. The DEA agent selected a nine millimeter pistol, but the ATF agent signed a form stating that she was the actual buyer.
The pair returned on November 9 to pick up the weapon. The male agent paid Mancini $316, and the female agent again certified that she was the buyer. The male agent also expressed interest in another gun, and paid Mancini $202 for it. He said he’d been “reduced to bow hunting” because of “bad legal advice.” Mancini added the sale of that gun to the documents that the female agent had earlier signed.
The undercover DEA agent went alone to Mancini’s store on November 26. He told Mancini that he had a prior felony conviction but wanted to buy a gun that day. He later returned to the store with the female undercover agent, who signed a federal form stating that she was the purchaser, and the DEA agent asked Mancini to place a “sold” sticker on a .357 revolver.
On December 5, the two agents went back to Continental Gun Engraving. The male agent paid Mancini $347 for the .357 magnum revolver that he had previously selected. Mancini gave him the gun and a receipt in the female agent’s undercover name.
Federal law prohibits felons from purchasing or possessing firearms, and requires licensed dealers to document the actual purchaser of a firearm. Buying guns for a prohibited person under another person’s name is known as straw-buying.
Mancini, 72, pleaded guilty to two counts of selling firearms without documenting who the purchaser was. The statutory maximum penalty for each count is five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Mancini is free on unsecured bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for August 1.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, with assistance from Cranston Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.