Levittown Man Gets State Prison For Straw Gun Purchases

LEVITTOWN, PA —A 62-year-old Croydon man has been sentenced for illegally purchasing and distributing firearms for more than a decade, the state Attorney General said.

Frederick Cornelius Brown, Jr., 62, of Croydon, was sentenced in Bucks County Court this week and faces between 10 and 20 years in prison for 34 straw gun purchasing-related offenses, Attorney General Michelle Henry said Thursday.

A joint investigation between the OAG’s Gun Violence Task Force and Bucks County authorities revealed that Brown had been buying firearms in multiple states, falsifying records during the purchases, then trafficking the guns — some of which were later involved in other crimes, authorities said.

Brown was convicted in March of 34 counts of illegal firearms transfer and knowingly falsifying documents regarding handgun purchases.

The charges stem from the purchase of 17 firearms Brown acquired and then disposed of dating back to 2011, authorities said. None of those guns were ever reported lost or stolen and none were lawfully transferred to another person.

At least three of the guns were recovered from other people during criminal investigations.

Many of the firearms purchases were Taurus G2C, 9mm pistols - a weapon frequently subject to illegal firearm trafficking due to its cost and availability.

Brown’s firearm purchases were all “straw purchases,” meaning a person with a clean background purchased firearms specifically on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm.

The true owner of the firearm is often prohibited from legally purchasing a firearm including convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles, and individuals with mental illness.

“Mr. Brown broke the firearms laws here in Bucks County. He found out at trial that we are committed to make good on our promise to crack down on lawless purchases of firearms like his, and others,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said.

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force worked with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office to secure this conviction. The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Camden County Police Department, and the Pennsauken Police Department also assisted in the investigation.

“Every gun that is illegally purchased and trafficked is a potential threat to public safety, as far too often, straw purchases fuel much of the gun violence that plagues Pennsylvania communities,” Henry said.