60 rifles seized from unlicensed gun seller
The federal government has seized 60 military-style rifles that prosecutors believe were bought by an unlicensed gun seller in Minnesota.
Prosecutors believe a Minnesota man violated federal law which bans people from engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.
A civil forfeiture complaint filed Wednesday in US District Court lists how the man bought weapons from licensed dealers and sold them at a profit to private buyers.
According to the complaint, the Romanian-made rifles are currently in the custody of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.
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The complaint alleges the man bought at least 81 Romarm/Cugir rifles and sold at least 25 of them for profit between August and October 2012.
Prosecutors say he bought most of the firearms from Mills Fleet Farms stores and sold them on the online auction website, Gunbroker.com. In one case, prosecutors allege the man bought a Romarm/Cugir AES 10B semi-automatic rifle from a Mills Fleet Farm store in Carver for $577.11. A week later, he allegedly sold the rifle on Gunbroker.com for $749.00.
Jeanne Cooney from the U.S. Attorney's public affairs office said the dealer who sold many of the rifles to the man became suspicious and contacted the ATF. She said it's not unusual for licensed gun dealers to help the government find illegal gun traffickers.
"We have federal licensed firearm dealers who take their roles very seriously," Cooney said.
No criminal charges have been filed, but it remains an option, she said.