CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A Charlotte man charged with straw purchasing firearms and dealing in firearms without a license appeared in federal court in Raleigh, N.C. today, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A federal grand jury in Charlotte indicted Thomas Evans Kelly, 28, in October. Federal agents arrested Kelly in Durham, N.C. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021.
Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the indictment, in August 2019, Kelly purchased three firearms from a licensed firearms dealer in Charlotte. Over the course of the transaction, Kelly made false and fictitious statements to the firearms dealer and falsely certified on federal forms associated with the purchase of the firearms that he was the actual buyer/transferee of the firearms. The indictment also alleges that between July 29, and Oct. 1, 2019, Kelly engaged in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
Kelly was released on bond after the hearing. The charge of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine. Dealing in firearms without a license has a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The ATF led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
