FORT WORTH, Texas — Three Fort Worth men accused of illegally selling guns were arrested in an ATF bust this week, according to Leigha Simonton, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Michael Smith, 36, Khalid Amill, 27, and Rondell Jones, 27, were arrested in Fort Worth on Tuesday. The men were charged with criminal complaint with conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and possession of a firearm.
If convicted, Smith and Amil face up to 35 years in federal prison, while Jones faces up to 15 years in prison.
Officials said Smith and Amil were also charged with drug offenses, as were three other men arrested during the bust: William Davis, 42, and Dwayne Purnell, 54 – who were both charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine – and Jaquan Thomas, 23, who was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Davis faces up to 40 years in prison, and Thomas faces up to 20 years in prison.
All six defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton in Fort Worth on Thursday.
Smith, Amill, Jones, and their co-conspirators sold more than two dozen firearms to undercover agents over the course of a month-and-a-half, court documents say. On multiple occasions, co-conspirators were informed that the guns they sold would be trafficked across the border into Mexico, where they would be resold illegally.
Court documents allege they repeatedly bragged that they could obtain fully automatic AK- and AR-style rifles, referred to as “choppers.” On one occasion, Smith and a co-conspirator allegedly attempted to sell a Smith & Wesson pistol that they claimed was equipped with a custom firing pin that made it automatic, according to the court document. When an undercover agent expressed skepticism, they claimed the firing pin was “internal.”
On another occasion, Smith allegedly acted as middleman for the sale of a short-barreled Seekins Precision rifle equipped with a selector switch that moved from safe, to single shot, to automatic, the attorney's office said.
Smith also allegedly brokered the sale of a privately manufactured firearm (PMF), commonly referred to as a “ghost gun,” that contained an extended magazine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation in partnership with the Fort Worth Police Department’s Gang Unit.
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