Lancaster man pleads guilty to selling firearms without a license
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A North Texas man faces up to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal gun crimes, officials said.
Armani Morris, 22, of Lancaster, is accused of selling guns in July 2022 despite not having a license to do so. By law, anyone dealing firearms must hold Federal Firearms License (FFL) and run background checks on buyers. He was indicted in August.
According to his plea papers, Morris admitted to selling at least 52 guns between 2021 and 2022. On Dec. 16, 2021, ATF agents served Morris with a cease-and-desist letter that explained his conduct was illegal. Officials said Morris ignored the warning and continued buying and selling guns.
On April 7, 2022, ATF agents met Morris at his residence. He told them that he had read the cease-and-desist letter but did not want to sign it, officials said. When agents presented Morris with evidence that he had purchased 54 firearms, he admitted that he could fully account for only two of them. Morris also admitted that he had spent all of his money on guns with the intent of selling them for a profit.
Even after this confrontation, officials said, Morris kept selling guns without a license. The ATF launched an undercover investigation and on four separate occasions in the summer of 2022 were able to buy a total of seven firearms from Morris. The guns sold included two AR-style pistols and a Glock pistol complete with a switch that allowed it to fire automatically like a machine gun.
Morris now faces up to five years in prison. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.