Port St. Lucie Man Sentenced For Dealing In Firearms Without A License

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Colin Campbell Joseph Knight (25, Port St. Lucie) to two years and six months in federal prison for dealing in firearms without a license.  He pleaded guilty on September 14, 2015. 

According to court documents, between June 23, 2013, and August 22, 2014, Knight and his father, who is also named Colin Knight, collectively sold 113 firearms and made approximately $63,137 from these sales. During this period, neither Knight nor his father had a Federal Firearms License (FFL) authorizing them to lawfully engage in the business of dealing in firearms. In April 2014, law enforcement agents visited the Knights at their home in Kissimmee and informed them that their firearms activity appeared to be in violation of federal law. Both men also signed written notices advising them to cease and desist in the business of dealing in firearms until they obtained the appropriate FFL. Despite these warnings, they continued selling firearms.

On August 22, 2014, agents executed a federal search warrant at the Knights’ Kissimmee residence and recovered 26 firearms, along with records and bills of sale confirming that they were engaging in the ongoing sale of firearms without licenses.

On October 30, 2015, Judge Mendoza sentenced Knight’s father to one year in federal prison for dealing in firearms without a license.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is another example of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to impact violent crime within our communities.