Nevada Resident Pleads Guilty to Being a Straw Firearms Purchaser of Firearms Confiscated at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas

St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Michael Kelly, 30, a resident of Las Vegas, NV, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms in interstate and foreign commerce.

According to court documents, on April 16, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Romarm/Century Arms Draco caliber 7.62x39mm and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from a firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. In purchasing the firearms, Kelly completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including the ATF Form 4473 for this purchase on April 16, 2016. On the Form 4473, the defendant stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to his co-defendant, Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,200.00 for the purchase.

On April 25, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from another firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. He completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including completing and signing the ATF Form 4473 for his purchase on April 25, 2016. In the form, Kelly stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,800.00 for the purchase.

On April 28, 2016, Naeem Smith traveled to St. Thomas, V.I. from Las Vegas, NV. At the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, V.I., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers inspected Naeem Smith’s checked bag and discovered multiple firearms, including the firearms that defendant Michael Kelly, had purchased for Naeem Smith described previously.

Kelly faces up to five-years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.00. A sentencing date will be set by the Court.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Albino and is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.