Attorney General Michelle Henry recently announced the conviction of a 62-year-old man from Croydon, Pennsylvania named Frederick Cornelius Brown, Jr. for illegally purchasing and distributing firearms for over a decade. Brown was found guilty of 34 counts of illegal firearms transfer and knowingly falsifying documents relating to handgun purchases by a Bucks County Court.
The charges against Brown stem from the purchase of 17 firearms that he acquired and disposed of dating back to 2011. None of these guns were ever reported as lost or stolen, and none were lawfully transferred to another person. At least three of the guns were later recovered from other individuals during criminal investigations.
It is important to note that Brown’s firearm purchases were all “straw purchases.” Straw purchases refer to a situation where a person with a clean background buys firearms specifically on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. These types of purchases often involve individuals who are prohibited from legally buying a firearm, including convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles, and individuals with mental illness.
“Far too often, straw-purchased guns end up in the hands of dangerous criminals who have committed crimes that prevent them from legally owning a firearm,” said Attorney General Henry. “Straw purchases fuel the gun violence that plagues too many of our communities. If you buy a gun that ends up in the hands of a violent criminal, my Office will do everything in our power to ensure you face time in prison.”
Many of the firearms that Brown purchased were Taurus G2C, 9mm pistols – a weapon that is frequently subject to illegal firearm trafficking due to its cost and availability.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force worked with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office to secure this conviction. The case was tried by Bucks County Deputy District Attorney David Keightly.
