Husband And Wife Charged In Interstate Gun Trafficking Scheme
Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), and Keechant L. Sewell, Police Commissioner for the City of New York (NYPD), announced today that RONALD ROGERS and ANAUNCIA ROGERS were charged with conspiracy to commit gun trafficking and gun trafficking, in connection with their involvement in a scheme to illegally obtain and transport firearms from Georgia for resale to residents of New York. RONALD ROGERS was arrested yesterday traveling from Georgia to New York and was presented today before Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger in the Southern District of New York. ANAUNCIA ROGERS was also arrested yesterday in Georgia and was presented today in the Northern District of Georgia.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Anauncia and Ronald Rogers were in the business of illegally purchasing firearms in Georgia and transporting them to New York. The two are alleged to have purchased 68 guns in their interstate weapons-buying scheme. The importation of firearms into the tri-state exposes millions of New Yorkers to potentially lethal harm, and I commend the career prosecutors of this Office for partnering with the ATF and NYPD in the ongoing effort to rid our streets of illegal guns.”
ATF Special Agent-in-Charge John DeVito said: “One of ATF’s top priorities is to decrease the ever-growing threat to public safety caused by illegally trafficked firearms. The men and women of the Joint Firearms Task Force worked diligently to identify, investigate and to apprehend Ronald and Anauncia Rogers in this case. This investigation is yet another example of the collaborative work of the NYC Crime Gun Intelligence Center and all our investigative partners to reduce firearms trafficking and violent crime across our City and Nation.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “The NYPD and our law enforcement partners at the ATF and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District remain precisely focused on building strong cases against anyone who peddles illegal guns on the streets of New York. Bringing these gun traffickers to justice is dangerous work, and I commend our dedicated investigators for identifying and taking into custody this husband-and-wife team, who will now face the full consequences of their alleged actions.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1]:
From at least in or around September 2018 up to and including March 2022, RONALD ROGERS and ANAUNCIA ROGERS, both residents of the state of Georgia, engaged in a scheme to buy at least 68 firearms from at least seven federal firearms licensees (“FFLs”) in Georgia. Over the course of the scheme, ANAUNCIA ROGERS personally purchased at least 47 firearms. In connection with each purchase, ANAUNCIA ROGERS attested that she was the true purchaser of the firearms, when in fact she was buying guns on behalf of her husband and co-defendant, RONALD ROGERS. After ANAUNCIA ROGERS purchased the guns, RONALD ROGERS transported the firearms to New York City, usually by car, and illegally resold many of the guns to others.
To date, the NYPD has seized six firearms purchased in Georgia by ANAUNCIA ROGERS during arrests in New York City.
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RONALD ROGERS, 26, and ANAUNCIA ROGERS, 26, both of Riverdale, Georgia, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit gun trafficking, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of gun trafficking, which also carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the ATF and the NYPD for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. King is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
