East Bay Trio Plead Guilty To Selling Illegal Guns To Undercover Cops

CONCORD, CA — Three East Bay men have pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, some of which were sold to undercover law enforcement agents, federal authorities said.

Troy Elias Walker, 24, of Concord; David Michael Rembert, 42, of Concord; and Daljit Kamal Singh, 27, of Hercules, entered plea agreements April 15 in federal court in Oakland.

Charges were initially filed Aug. 10, 2021, against the trio following an investigation into the sale of unlicensed and illegal firearms via Instagram and in person. The ATF, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Concord Police Department and Antioch Police Department were involved in the investigation.

Court documents describe how law enforcement agents bought 17 machinegun conversion switches — a device that modifies a gun to fire as a machinegun — for pistols and 13 other firearms over the course of multiple undercover buys in Concord.

The undercover firearm purchases also included buys of privately made firearms in addition to commercially manufactured firearms. PMFs — which include firearms colloquially referred to as “ghost guns” — are guns built from unfinished receivers that typically lack manufacturer’s marks or serial numbers.

According to court documents, Singh admitted that on April 21, 2021, he sold a Smith & Wesson handgun with an obliterated serial number and a conversion switch to an undercover law enforcement agent. Rembert was present at the transaction along with Walker, and Rembert admitted in his plea agreement that he obliterated the serial numbers on the handgun.

Rembert also admitted that he installed the conversion switch onto the undercover agent’s firearm at the time of the sale, converting the handgun into a machinegun, and that he charged a fee for the installation service, according to the court documents.

Rembert further admitted in his plea agreement that on May 6, 2021, he sold a Glock-style handgun with a conversion switch to an undercover law enforcement agent for $2,000. Rembert admitted he installed the switch into the firearm during the meeting, converting it to a machinegun, according to court documents.

Walker admitted in his plea agreement that on the same day, May 6, 2021, he sold four conversion switches for $1,050 to an undercover law enforcement agent. He also sold the undercover agent a privately made P80 firearm – a PMF or ghost gun – with a Glock slide on it for $1,050. Walker acknowledged these items qualify under federal law as machineguns.

Walker also admitted that on June 2, 2021, he sold 10 conversion switches for $2,000 and a privately made P80 firearm with an obliterated serial number and an installed conversion switch for $1,000. He also sold an AR-15-style rifle and an SKS rifle. These sales were made to undercover law enforcement agents. Walker admitted the conversion switches and the P80 firearm qualified as machineguns.

Rembert further admitted in his plea agreement that on July 14, 2021, he sold a Glock Model 48 handgun, a Glock Model 36 handgun, and a Glock-style conversion switch to two undercover law enforcement agents. The total price was more than $3,200.

Each defendant admitted that the conspiracy spanned at least from April 15, 2021, through July 14, 2021, and during this time up to 99 firearms were sold. Walker specifically admitted selling 30 firearms to undercover agents during the conspiracy and selling firearms on Instagram. All three defendants admitted they did not have a license to sell firearms, federal prosecutors said.

The three defendants were arrested Aug. 12, 2021. In their respective plea agreements, Walker acknowledged that on the day of the arrest, law enforcement agents seized 12 firearms from his residence, Rembert admitted agents seized 38 firearms from his residence, and Singh admitted agents recovered a machinegun pistol from a car registered to him.

The defendants are scheduled for their sentencing hearings Aug. 5 in Oakland federal court.

Walker remains in custody pending sentencing, while Rembert and Singh are out of custody pending sentencing.

Walker, Rembert and Singh each face a maximum term of 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

This case follows the launch by the U.S. Department of Justice of Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces in five key regions, including the San Francisco Greater Bay Area and Sacramento Region, that are focused on disrupting illegal firearms trafficking.