Man pleads guilty in gun-buy scheme
NORRISTOWN >> A Pottstown man admitted to conspiring with an Upper Providence man to illegally obtain two firearms, a so-called “straw purchase” scheme that was crushed by Montgomery County’s Violent Crime Unit.
Daeshaun Wynder, 20, of the 500 block of Chestnut Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of conspiring to make materially false written statements and conspiring to engage in the illegal sale or transfer of firearms in connection with incidents that occurred in March 2017.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Wynder, who at the time of the crime
was 18 and living in the 400 block of Main Street in Royersford.
Wynder, who remains free on bail pending sentencing, faces a possible maximum sentence of 9½-to-19-years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
The man who conspired with Wynder in the illegal gun sale scheme, Matthew C. Brant, 25, of the first block of Providence Forge Road, Upper Providence, previously pleaded guilty to charges of making materially false statements and illegal sale or transfer of firearms. Brant also is free on bail while awaiting sentencing.
With the charges, detectives alleged Brant purchased two firearms, a Ruger .380-caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun, for Wynder, who was only 18 years old at the time and was not legally allowed to purchase the firearms. Brant, detectives alleged, lied on a record of sale, claiming he was purchasing the firearms for himself and not another individual.
“In this investigation, Matthew Brant was identified as the ‘straw purchaser’ of the two firearms,” a detective with the county’s Violent Crime Unit wrote in a criminal complaint.
A so-called “straw purchase” occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and executes the necessary paperwork, but does so specifically on behalf of a person who is prohibited by law from possessing or purchasing a firearm.
Detectives alleged that on March 1, 2017, Brant, Wynder and an unknown individual went to French Creek Outfitters, a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Phoenixville, where Brant paid $683 cash to purchase the two firearms. Brant also completed paperwork required by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Pennsylvania State Police, claiming he purchased the guns for himself.
But detectives alleged Wynder, who due to his age was prohibited from purchasing a handgun, had provided Brant with the money to purchase the firearms. Federal law prohibits anyone under 21 from buying a handgun from a federally licensed firearms dealer, detectives explained.
Brant subsequently gave the guns to Wynder who returned with them to his then Royersford residence.
“Wynder also would not have possessed these firearms if not for the actions of Brant,” detectives alleged.
On June 30, 2017, detectives, armed with a search warrant, went to the Royersford residence and seized the two firearms.
The investigation determined that a relative of Wynder learned about the illegal transaction between Brant and Wynder about seven days after the straw purchase and subsequently had Brant transfer the firearms into the relative’s name, who was legally permitted to possess firearms, according to the criminal complaint.
There was no exchange of money between Brant and Wynder’s relative during the transfer, detectives said.
Wynder’s relative was not charged with any crimes, according to court records.
“The assessment of the information obtained led investigators to believe that these firearms were purchased by Matthew Brant on behalf of Daeshaun Wynder and it was a straw purchase,” a detective with the Violent Crime Unit wrote in court papers.
The county’s specialized Violent Crime Unit was formed in August 2014 to devote more resources to violent offenses and is primarily responsible for protecting public safety and preventing future violence.
The VCU, which includes about a half dozen detectives, investigators and analysts with significant law enforcement experience and proven expertise in evidence collection, video forensics, wiretaps, and computer biometrics, has been instrumental in attacking gun and gang violence in the county, officials said.