PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Six men are facing charges that they were part of a gun trafficking organization in Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said the investigation started when Clayton Robinson, 20 from Glenside, was caught with an illegal handgun.
Investigators say, based on gun sale and cell phone records, that Robinson and his brothers Julian and Kenneth Robinson are accused of heading up a straw purchase ring that bought 34 guns and sold them throughout the region to people who were legally prohibited from buying a firearm.
The DA’s office says Joseph Lynch, 25 from Georgia, bought 17 guns for the organization. Maurice Baker, 23 of Bristol, is accused of buying 12, and Brett Porter, 22 of Jenkintown, is charged with buying five.
Prosecutors say Clayton Robinson would use power tools to illegally remove serial numbers from the guns. Prosecutors say he was also selling kits that convert semi-automatic handguns to fully automatic.
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“These defendants were acting together with the sole purpose of making money by putting firearms in the hands of people who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns, in effect arming criminals and in particular arming criminals with firearms capable of firing many, many bullets in a very short amount to time,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
“Straw purchases and the sale of those guns to people who cannot legally buy their own firearm is dangerous to the safety of all of our communities, especially when the guns have obliterated serial numbers as these guns did. Gun trafficking is a significant threat to public safety and should concern every law-abiding citizen.”
Charges against the men vary, but all face felony counts of corrupt organizations and conspiracy.
Police are currently seeking Lynch. People with information on where he may be, or with more information on the overall case, can call the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Crime Tip Line at 610-278-3648.