Couple Illegally Sold Guns In South Jersey: Feds

A man and woman from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who were arrested on gun trafficking charges have been extradited to New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Wednesday.

Anthony Doyle, 27, and Anastacia Thomas, 26, are charged by complaint with conspiring to illegally traffic firearms in South Jersey. Doyle is also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms.

They were arrested earlier this month in North Carolina, where they appeared in court and were detained, Carpenito said. They were arrested following a traffic stop of a car that was registered to Doyle on Jan. 25, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. Doyle was a passenger and 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, on Jan. 22.

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 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.

The charge of conspiring to engage in gun trafficking carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Carpenito credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito, Newark Field Division, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara A. Aliabadi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden. The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and both Doyle and Thomas are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Image via Shutterstock