Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - A North Las Vegas man was sentenced Monday to 32 months in prison for illegally buying and selling over 200 firearms without a Federal Firearms License.
In January 2023, after the Government rested its case-in-chief at trial,69-year-old Charles Martin Ellis pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of the transfer or sale of a firearm to a non-resident.
According to court documents and admissions made in court, in February 2017, Ellis bought a Zastava 7.62mm caliber AK-47-style assault pistol and, in February 2017, he resold that firearm to an individual.
In August 2017, a convicted felon used that firearm to kill a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Deputy and shot and wounded two California Highway Patrol Investigators who were investigating a stolen vehicle.
An ATF investigation revealed guns sold by Ellis were used in other crimes in Nevada and California. In September 2017, Ellis bought a Century Arms International Rifle in Las Vegas and resold that firearm to an individual. Two years later, that firearm was used in a homicide in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In total, Ellis bought and quickly resold over 200 firearms without a Federal Firearms License. Some of the guns have been seized by law enforcement in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Mexico.