Woman Admits To Illegal Gun Trafficking In South Jersey: Feds

A North Carolina woman has admitted to her role in an illegal gun trafficking scheme in which weapons were smuggled into New Jersey from Georgia in an attempt to sell them, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Tuesday.

Anastacia Thomas, 26, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to an information charging her with conspiring to illegally traffic firearms, authorities announced.

Thomas and 28-year-old Anthony Doyle were arrested following a traffic stop in Deptford on Jan. 25 of last year, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. The car was registered to Doyle, who was a passenger. Thomas was driving.

During the stop, police said they saw a Glock handgun on the front seat passenger floor. Doyle told the officers the gun, which was loaded with 14 hollow tip bullets, belonged to a friend. The officers also saw a firearm box in the backseat of the car, next to a backpack.

A search of the car and backpack revealed four additional handguns and two additional firearm boxes, police said. Police learned that Thomas bought the guns and the backpack from a pawn shop in Jonesboro, Georgia, three days earlier.

During a subsequent investigation, police said they learned that Thomas had bought several guns from the same pawn shop during multiple visits, and that Doyle was with her for at least two of those visits. As a result of the investigation, Doyle and Thomas were accused of selling firearms without a license from Nov. 30, 2017, to Jan. 25, 2018, when their car was stopped.

Thomas would buy the guns from federally licensed firearms dealers, police said. Doyle would then advertise firearms for sale on social media. He negotiated the prices and handled the transactions. Police analyzed hundreds of pages of online messages in which Doyle discussed the various firearm transactions.

Thomas faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7. Charges against Doyle remain pending. Those charges are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

See related: Couple Illegally Sold Guns In South Jersey: Feds