SAVANNAH, GA - David Gould, 38, a licensed firearms dealer from Savannah, Georgia, pled guilty today in Brunswick, Georgia before Chief U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to multiple charges relating to his unlawful sales of machine guns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2016, the ATF received information that Gould, a licensed federal firearms dealer, was seeking to sell fully-automatic, untraceable machine guns for cash. The ATF conducted an undercover operation, during which Gould sold two fully automatic AR-15.223 machine guns. The sales occurred in Savannah and Brunswick. Unbeknownst to Gould, he sold the machine guns to an undercover police officer. The machine guns sold by Gould were not registered; they did not have serial numbers; and they were made and possessed in violation of the National Firearms Act. The National Firearms Act limits and regulates the possession of fully automatic weapons. In addition to machine guns, Gould also sold the undercover officer large quantities of marijuana on two separate occasions. During each of the drug sales, Gould himself was armed.
If his plea agreement with the Government is accepted by the Court, Gould will serve 15 years in prison for his crimes. There is no parole in the federal system. Gould’s sentencing will be scheduled after the U.S. Probation Office conducts a presentence investigation.
The case was investigated by the ATF, the GBI and the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
