Two Los Angeles County men charged for selling firearms on Instagram
Two men from Los Angeles County are accused of participating in a scheme to illegally sell dozens of guns on Instagram, some of which were untraceable.
The two men, Azusa resident Ivan Quintos, 27, and Whittier resident Salvador Lopez, 24, were charged in a federal grand jury indictment alongside two men from Henderson, Nevada, according to the US Department of Justice. Prosecutors claimed the four men sold more than 60 firearms, including untraceable "ghost guns" and "Glock switches," which allow people to turn their handguns into fully automatic weapons.
If convicted, Quintos faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison, while Lopez faces a max of 15 years. Quintos pleaded not guilty and is expected to appear in court again on Aug. 6. Lopez is expected to enter a plea during his arraignment on July 9.
The two men worked with Henderson residents Mark Perez, 22, and Zachary Dry, 23, to sell the firearms through direct messages and public Instagram posts, according to the 11-count indictment. Federal prosecutors claimed that in addition to the ghost guns, the suspects sold guns with scratched-off serial numbers and others that were stolen.
They allegedly sold these weapons in North Hollywood, Las Vegas and several other areas, according to the DOJ.
If convicted, Perez faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison, while Dry faces 25 years. Both men were barred from possessing weapons due to previous convictions in Nevada.
