FBI agent faces firearms charges

[mrreynolds]

El Paso Times Article

FBI agent faces firearms charges
By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Times
Posted: 07/10/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO -- An FBI agent accused of buying and selling weapons and ammunition without a license, then lying about it, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury.

John Thomas Shipley, 39, was charged with one count of dealing firearms without a license, four counts of causing a firearms dealer to maintain false records and one count of making a false statement to federal authorities.

FBI officials in El Paso said Shipley has been suspended without pay since March, but they would not say how long he has been an agent.

The indictment alleges that he bought and sold weapons and ammunition on the Internet from January 2005 to May 2008.

He is accused of posting firearms for sale more than 200 times.

He also bought at least 54 weapons, then sold 51 of them for more than $118,000, acting U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy said Shipley lied to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives four times between July 2007 and May 2008. He stated on ATF forms that he bought weapons at gun shops.

In addition, Shipley was accused of providing federal agents with an inaccurate record book of the firearms he sold.

Murphy said the government is also seeking forfeiture of 17 weapons, including two .50-caliber Barrett rifles, more than 2,800 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition, a silencer and $7,340 in cash.

The items were seized during a federal raid of Shipley's home in 2008.

Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117.

[INDICTMENT PDF] & [LINK]

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[shooterX]

So he's the one selling them to the Mexican drug cartels!!!

Sorry couldn't help it.

[ccman]

That's what I was thinking.