Gun Dealers from North Branford, Northford Sentenced for Federal Firearms Violations

Gun dealers from North Branford and Northford have been sentenced in U.S. District Court for violating federal firearms laws.

Brian Vanacore, 49, of North Branford, and Greg Bodytko, 55, of Northford, were sentenced Thursday in Bridgeport by U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel who ordered them to serve one year of probation, pay a $500 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, according to an announcement from Connecticut’s U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Vanacore and Bodytko were the owners of BMG LLC (BMC), which operated a gun store at 2585 Berlin Turnpike in Newington. Vanacore and BMG had three separate federal firearms licenses to deal firearms in Connecticut, and Bodytko was a 50 percent partner in the business with Vanacore.

In the summer of 2013, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted a routine inspection of BMG’s Newington store. During the inspection, ATF inspectors found several firearms, including machine guns and silencers, which are required to be registered under the National Firearms Act. BMG records revealed that BMG had purchased these firearms, but had not changed the registration information in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. As a result, each of the firearms remained registered to the individual who sold them to BMG. In total, BMG possessed 15 firearms that it should have registered under the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

BMG, Vanacore and Bodytko also failed, on numerous occasions, to report the sale of multiple handguns to the same individual, and failed to record in their Acquisition and Disposition records the acquisition and/or disposition of hundreds of firearms. On numerous occasions, the defendants failed to fill out properly, or failed to fill out at all, ATF Form 4473, a form that must be completed by individuals who purchase firearms from federally-licensed firearms dealers. They also failed to conduct necessary background checks on at least 10 separate occasions.

“Federally-licensed firearms dealers are our first line of defense in making certain that firearms don’t wind up in the hands of the wrong people,” Daly said in a statement. Gun dealers who don’t comply with the rules and violate federal law will be prosecuted.

On March 5, 2014, Vanacore and Bodytko each pleaded guilty to one count of failing to keep a complete and accurate written record in its acquisition and disposition records for firearms, and one count of failing to report the multiple sale of handguns. Vanacore also entered a guilty plea on behalf of BMG to one count of making false entries in dealer’s records.

BMG was previously sentenced to five years’ probation, and the store is no longer in operation.

Vanacore and Bodytko were ordered to surrender their Federal Firearm Licenses (FFL) and they not permitted to reapply for an FFL for five years.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Spector.

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