Man admits role in gun trafficking network
Corrupt organization operated in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties
NORRISTOWN » A Philadelphia man admitted to his role in a gun trafficking organization that operated in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties and now he awaits his fate from a judge.
Anthony Jamaris McCrary, 26, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to multiple felony charges including corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, making materially false written statements and sales to ineligible transferees in connection with incidents that occurred between July and August 2020.
Judge Thomas C. Branca deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about McCrary. The open guilty plea means McCrary has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence. McCrary potentially faces decades in prison on the charges.
Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin, captain of the district attorney’s firearms unit, is prosecuting the case.
McCrary was one of 13 people, including four juvenile males, who were arrested in September 2020 and charged with participating in the gun trafficking network. Authorities alleged the participants obtained and sold a total of 44 firearms using straw purchase schemes.
With the charges, authorities alleged McCrary purchased 35 firearms via straw purchases at federally licensed gun dealers between July and August 2020 on behalf of the gun trafficking network led by Terrence Barker, 20, of Philadelphia, Mikal Scott, 19, of the 7900 block of Rolling Green Road, Cheltenham, and a 17-year-old Norristown male.
The purchases were made at several federally licensed firearm dealers in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties, authorities said.
Barker, Scott and the 17-year-old juvenile are still awaiting court action.
At the time of the arrests in September 2020, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged the organization’s “sole purpose is to make money by putting firearms in the hands of people who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns.”
A straw purchase occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. Those who are unable to legally purchase firearms include convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles and mentally ill individuals.
The organization had multiple members performing a variety of roles, including purchasing and marketing or sales of the firearms, detectives alleged.
At the time of the arrests, authorities said only a few of the firearms had been recovered, including one that was linked to a shooting incident in Cheltenham and another seized during a traffic stop of a juvenile in Abington.
The investigation began on Aug. 9, 2020, when county detectives were routinely reviewing paperwork related to multiple gun purchases by individuals and noticed McCrary’s purchases of a large number of guns from licensed dealers, according to court papers.
The following day, on Aug. 10, Norristown police responded to a shooting incident involving a 17-yearold male and a search of the residence where the shooting occurred uncovered two gun boxes that had been purchased on the day of the shooting by McCrary, who did not live at the residence. Neither gun had been reported stolen, indicating a possible straw purchase, authorities alleged.
Investigators subsequently learned that McCrary sometimes visited more than one gun store in a day and bought multiple firearms at the same time, according to court documents.
The investigation used surveillance, cellphone and social media analysis, search warrants and reviews of federal firearms forms to uncover the participants in the organization, according to court papers.
The Electronic Record of Sale system, part of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Track and Trace Initiative, was a key tool used by investigators to track the organization’s illegal firearms purchases.
The investigation was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit and the Norristown Police Department.