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  Canfield Man Charged in Conspiracy of Illegal Distribution of Weapons That Were Resold to Buyers from Mexico
  

  COLUMBUS, Ohio – 08/04/2017 - A federal
  grand jury has charged Paul A. Groves, 36, of Canfield, Ohio, with
  conspiring with others to illegally buy and resell military-grade
  semi-automatic firearms in a superseding indictment returned here
  yesterday.

  
  

  Benjamin C. Glassman, United
  States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Trevor Velinor,
  Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
  Explosives (ATF) announced the indictment.

  
  

  The superseding indictment
  alleges that Groves, who operated High Powered Armory in Youngstown,
  provided false information in the purchase of firearms in order to
  fraudulently purchase military-grade weapons and resell them to illegal
  purchasers, who then resold them to Mexican buyers.

  
  

  Co-defendant Eric L. Grimes, 47, of Columbus, operated Great Machine, LLC in Hilliard.

  
  

  While High Powered Armory was a
  federal firearms licensee, Great Machine was not. In January 2015,
  Groves submitted an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
  Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to license Great Machine as a secondary
  location for High Powered Armory.

  
  

  According to the superseding
  indictment, individuals in Indiana conspired to fraudulently acquire
  firearms from licensees for the purpose of transferring those firearms
  to illegal purchasers in Mexico. Groves allegedly negotiated with
  members of the Indiana group for the purchases of high-powered rifles
  that were then sold to buyers from Mexico who paid extremely high,
  marked-up prices.

  
  

  For example, on January 28,
  2015, Grimes accepted more than $48,000 in cash at Great Machine at the
  instruction of Groves and on his behalf as payment for the anticipated
  purchase of rifles. Groves then transferred the weapons to members of
  the Indiana group at High Powered Armory a few weeks later. The Indiana
  individuals then drove to McAllen, Texas and re-sold them to buyers from
  Mexico.

  
  

  Gun Envy, LLC on Indianola Avenue in Columbus was also used as a meeting location on at least one occasion.

  
  

  Groves is charged with one
  count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, which is punishable by
  up to five years in prison, and one count of receipt or possession of
  an unregistered firearm, which carries a potential maximum sentence of
  10 years in prison.

  
  

  Grimes pleaded guilty in U.S.
  District Court Wednesday to engaging in firearms business without a
  license, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

  
  

  U.S. Attorney Glassman
  commended the investigation of this case by ATF, and Assistant United
  States Attorneys Kevin Kelley and Jessica H. Kim, who are prosecuting
  the case.

  
  

  An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
  
  

  
  
  

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