Salem Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charge

Roanoke, VIRGINIA – A Salem man, who directed his then-girlfriend to sell a machine gun, pled guilty this week in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke to a federal firearms charge, Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle announced.

Billy James Carter, 45, of Salem, Va., pled guilty this week to one count of unlawfully transferring a firearm.

According to evidence presented by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley B. Neese, in April 2016, Carter directed his then-girlfriend to sell an AK-47 style rifle to a friend in Montgomery County, Virginia for $1,900. The rifle featured both semiautomatic and automatic fire styles.

The investigation of the case was conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley B. Neese prosecuted the case for the United States.