NJ Man Lied To Buy Guns In Bucks Co.

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to federal prison for lying to buy guns in Bucks County, then selling those guns to convicted criminals.

Kevin Elcock, 33, of Newark, N.J., was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl, the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia announced.

Elcock pleaded guilty to seven counts of making false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers in Northampton and Bucks counties. From Dec. 27, 2016 through July 31, 2018, Elcock lied on seven occasions, claiming he lived in Pennsylvania.

He lied, federal prosecutors said, because he thought it was easier to buy guns in Pennsylvania than New Jersey. He then sold many of the guns to people with criminal histories who would not have been allowed to legally buy the guns themselves, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

According to the indictment against him, Elcock made false statements in Bucks County to gun dealers in Easton and Jamison.

"Federal laws for purchasing and owning firearms exist to protect public safety, and this defendant purposefully and arrogantly flouted those laws," said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. "Reducing violent crime by keeping illegal guns off of our streets is a top priority for the Department of Justice and my office."

The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza.