LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A North Las Vegas man will spend time in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally buying and selling hundreds of firearms without a Federal Firearms License.
Court documents and statements made in court state that 69-year-old old Charles Martin Ellis bought a Zastava 7.62mm caliber AK-47-style assault rifle in February 2017. He then resold the firearm to someone. Investigators said that in August 2017, the same weapon was used by a convicted felon who shot and killed a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Deputy. The felon also shot and wounded two California Highway Patrol Investigators who were looking for a stolen vehicle.
In another incident, investigators said that Ellis bought a Century Arms International Rifle in Las Vegas in September 2017. Two years later, that weapon was used in a murder in Guadalajara, Mexico.
According to an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials, Ellis bought and resold over 200 firearms without a Federal Firearms License. Some of those weapons have been seized by law enforcement in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Mexico.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ellis pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of the transfer or sale of a firearm to a non-resident. On Monday, he was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
