Española dealer pleads guilty to selling guns to felons and minors

The owner of Shooter’s Outpost in Española pleaded guilty Thursday to selling firearms to felons and minors, which could result in a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Licensed gun dealer Robert Real, 56, accepted a plea deal in the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque that convicts him of numerous violations of federal firearms laws, including falsification of firearm transfer records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Real; his wife, Linda Real, 65, who is an employee at the store and a licensed firearms dealer; and Real’s stepdaughter, Crystal Johnson, also an employee, were indicted Oct. 24. The indictment alleged the three defendants committed the crimes in Rio Arriba County, Silver City, Albuquerque, Algodones, Carlsbad and Santa Fe.

Linda Real and Johnson both have entered pleas of not guilty.

Johnson is accused of conspiring between March 12, 2016, and Feb. 8, 2017, to sell firearms to people prohibited from owning guns and ammunition, as well as unauthorized transfer of a firearm from a motor vehicle.

Linda Real faces five charges, including conspiring to sell firearms to felons and minors during the same time period, selling firearms to felons and falsifying transaction records.

Robert Real was charged with seven counts, including conspiracy, selling firearms to felons and a minor, falsifying transaction records and making false statements to agents. At Thursday’s hearing, he pleaded guilty to all seven, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“He admitted that, in order to

maximize his profits, he sold firearms and instructed his co-defendants to sell firearms without performing the required background check” and “falsified records of sale to indicate that firearms sales had occurred after a three-day standard delay period,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the news release.

Real also admitted that in the case of a delayed sale, he instructed Johnson to illegally transfer a gun to the buyer from a vehicle rather than selling it from the store, according to the statement.