Illegal gun maker faces possibility of four years in prison

Police found semi-automatic weapons made in LaSalle shop at crime scenes

A man who helped manufacture many illegal semi-automatic firearms at a factory in LaSalle faces the possibility of a four-year prison term for his crimes.

Daniel Spain, 51, appeared before Quebec Court Judge Mélanie Hébert at the Montreal courthouse on Monday for what was supposed to be the start of sentence arguments in his case. Instead, his lawyer, Joseph Elfassy, filed a motion arguing that the three-year mandatory minimum sentence his client already faces is unconstitutional.

Hébert agreed to carry over the sentence hearing to January to allow time for both sides to prepare arguments on the motion.

On March 29, Spain, an ÎlePerrot resident, pleaded guilty to two counts of manufacturing prohibited firearms while knowing that he wasn’t authorized to do so. He worked at Perfection Métal, a company based in LaSalle while its owner Jean-Pierre Huot made dozens of Tec-9-type semi-automatic pistols, including several that ended up being recovered by police at crime scenes in Quebec and Ontario.

Prosecutor Jean-Philippe MacKay informed Hébert that he intends to request that Spain, who’s out on bail, serve a fouryear prison term. Elfassy said he intends to argue for a sentence his client can serve in the community.

Spain entered his guilty plea to the charges before he and Huot, 62, were about to face a jury at trial. A third man, Pierre Larivière, the company ’s vice-president, was acquitted in the same trial.

Huot was convicted by the jury on six similar charges, despite his claims that he was merely making paintball guns. On June 28, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Some of the firearms Huot made ended up being used in organized crime hits in Montreal, including the Aug. 1, 2014 murder of Ducarme Joseph, a street gang leader who was believed to have been involved in the 2009 murder of Nick (The Ritz) Rizzuto, the eldest son of then-Montreal Mafia leader Vito Rizzuto.

A 47-year-old man who is alleged to have purchased many of the firearms made by Perfection Métal is scheduled to have the preliminary inquiry in his case later this week.

Huot is appealing the jury’s verdict and, on July 5, a Quebec Court of Appeal judge agreed with his request that he be released on bail while he awaits that decision.

As part of his conditional release, Huot agreed to allow police to search the premises of Perfection Métal any time they want to make sure that what’s being made there is legal. He’s also not allowed to communicate with Spain.