San Francisco man sentenced for dealing, manufacturing firearms with 3-D printer
A San Francisco resident was sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to manufacturing and dealing firearms.
United States Attorney Ismail Ramsey and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani made the announcement Thursday after the sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Vince Chhabria.
Chris Bolland, 40, was indicted in August on four charges including possession of a machine gun, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and manufacturing and dealing firearms without a license, to which he pleaded guilty to all counts in September.
As part of a plea agreement, Bolland admitted to being in the business of manufacturing firearms including "ghost guns" using a 3-D printer as well as parts he had shipped to him.
The manufacturing took place from June 2021 through May 2023, when he was arrested.
Bolland also admitted to selling at least five of these privately manufactured ghost guns and other commercial manufactured firearms, of which some he admitted to modifying.
The US Department of Justice said he likely knew many buyers were criminals who were not legally allowed to possess firearms, further stating they were purchased in exchange for narcotics, cash, and cryptocurrency.
Bolland also admitted to possessing five firearms at the time of his arrest, including a fully automatic AR-15 style rifle with no serial number.
Moreover, Bolland admitted in the plea agreement that he also acted as a middleman in the sale of firearms and ammunitions between other sellers and buyers for which he received a commission.
Bolland will serve three years of supervised release after his prison term is completed.
The ATF and San Francisco Police Department led the investigation.