Darick Nollett, 32, who lives in Cumberland County near the Delaware Bay, caught the attention of law enforcement when he bought a “fuel filter” – a device commonly used to silence firearms -- from China, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.
As a convicted felon, Nollett was prohibited from having weaponry, Honig said.
So he got straw purchasers to buy guns for him, she said.
A court-approved search of his Heislerville home in May 2020 turned up a trove of guns and more, the U.S. attorney said.
Rather than risk a conviction at a trial, Nollett took a deal from the government, pleading guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Camden to "aiding and abetting the making of a false statement during the purchase of a firearm," Honig said.
As part of the deal, she said, Nollett agreed to surrender the arsenal:
- Remington 710 .270-caliber rifle;
- Savage 93R17 .17-caliber rifle;
- Aero Precision DTOM 15 rifle;
- CMMG Inc. MK4 rifle;
- Del-Ton DTI-15 rifle;
- Aero Precision DTOM 15 rifle;
- Keltec rifle;
- Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver;
- Ruger LCP .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol;
- Colt Python .357-caliber revolver;
- Taurus PT738 .380-caliber handgun;
- Sig Sauer P226 .22-caliber handgun;
- Glock 20 10mm handgun;
- Heckler & Koch VP9 tactical pistol;
- Smith & Wesson M&P40 .40-caliber handgun;
- Springfield XD-40 .40-caliber handgun;
- Springfield XD-45 .45-caliber handgun;
- Taurus PT111 G2 9mm handgun;
- Browning BPS 12-gauge shotgun;
- Winchester Model 120 12-gauge shotgun;
- Hatsan Arms Escort PS Magnum 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun;
- Remington 870 20-gauge shotgun;
- Mossberg 500E .410-gauge shotgun;
- Rossi 520 20 gauge shotgun;
- New England Firearms Pardner SBI 12-gauge shotgun;
- Fabrica Aguirre y Aranzabal JC Higgins Model 100 12-gauge shotgun;
- Savage Model 720 12-gauge shotgun;
- Springfield Armory Model 1896 rifle;
- Ruger Model 10-22 .22-caliber rifle;
- Remington 7615 Police .223-caliber rifle;
- Winchester Model 1864 30 30 rifle;
- Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun.
Also recovered was an assembled AR-15-style rifle with a scope that didn’t have a serial number, as well as unassembled parts for another one, Honig said.
The case is part of Project Guardian , the Department of Justice’s “signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws,” the U.S. attorney said.
PROJECT GUARDIAN: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian
Honig credited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigation’s Cherry Hill office, the ATF Newark Field Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division, New Jersey State Police and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office with the investigation leading to the plea, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of her Criminal Division in Camden.
U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp scheduled sentencing for April 5, 2022.
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