3 Men Illegally Trafficked Firearms Around Montgomery County: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — Three men are behind bars after authorities said they orchestrated illegal sales of dozens of firearms around southeastern Pennsylvania, facilitating "straw purchases" for criminals who could not legally purchase weapons.

Three Philadelphia men —Tyron Gresham, 24, along with brothers Nasim Smalls, 24, and Aaron Walker, 20 — face charges for making the illicit sales in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.

Gresham purchased the 37 weapons over a period of about a year and a half, stretching from Dec. 19, 2019 to May 18, 2021, officials said. He bought 17 in Bucks County, 16 in Philadelphia, and four in Montgomery County, according to police.

An investigation began in May after several red flags indicated potential straw purchases, the DA's Office said. Cellphone analysis, a review of federal firearms forms, surveillance, social media searches, interviews, and more led authorities to Gresham and his conspirators, according to police.

One key factor which tipped police off during surveillance was that other individuals, whom authorities said they later determined were Smalls and Walker, waited in the car while Gresham purchased the firearms at various locations, the criminal complaint states.

While Gresham purchased the firearms, Smalls and Walker determined which weapons to buy and then handled the resale of the weapons to others, authorities said.

It's not yet clear exactly where many of the weapons are, or who they were sold to. Only three of the 37 weapons have been recovered by authorities, the DA's Office said. One was found by Michigan State Police when they stopped a stolen vehicle from New York, and two more were found by Philadelphia Police during arrests on June 5 and June 13.

Straw purchases are are often made by someone with a clean record and then illegally resold to someone who can't buy a firearm legally: convicted felons, domestic violence abusers, children, or the mentally ill.

“The three recovered guns of the 37 purchased by Gresham shows just how far and wide the impact of gun trafficking and straw purchases can be," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steel said in a statement. "These guns travel quickly from the original purchaser to a criminal, who very soon uses it in illegal activity."

The trio faces an array of charges including corrupt organizations, conspiracy, materially false statements re firearms sale/transfer, unlawful transfer of a firearm, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities, and related counts.

A preliminary hearing for all three is set for July 21.

Hatfield and Bensalem police joined the Pennsylvania State Police, Montgomery County Detective Bureau's Violent Crime Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Pennsylvania State Police on the investigation.