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Tyrone Dansby, 24, and an 18-year-old charged with juvenile conduct, both of Philadelphia, are accused of conspiring to buy 69 firearms in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, and Lehigh counties with the intent of re-selling them without serial numbers, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Justice Matthew P. Varisco.
Additionally, Quamir Terry-Johnson, 22, of Philadelphia, is charged with felony firearms charges for buying two of the aforementioned guns, authorities said.
An investigation found that from March 8 through Sept. 29, 2020, Dansby bought 33 firearms in Bucks County, 17 in Philadelphia, 16 in Montgomery County, and three in Lehigh County, according to authorities.
Dansby went on a buying spree in June 2020, resulting in the purchase of 28 handguns from nine different stores, authorities said.
Dansby would frequently visit various gun stores in a day and purchase multiple firearms at the same time, including several purchases of the same make and model of gun, according to authorities.
After Dansby purchased the firearms, a piece of equipment recovered by law enforcement via a search warrant was used to obliterate the serial numbers, attempting to render the firearm untraceable, according to investigators.
The unnamed suspect, who was 17 at the time, then immediately put them up for sale, usually through his Instagram and other social media accounts, authorities said.
Three firearms straw purchased by Dansby have since been recovered by law enforcement, investigators said.
“This type of organization’s sole purpose is to make money by putting firearms in the hands of criminals who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns. Illegal firearms on our streets are a significant threat to public safety and should concern every law-abiding citizen,” DA Steele said.
“Law enforcement at the local, county, state, and federal levels are working together to fight the arming of criminals through these illegal straw purchases and gun trafficking. We are all committed partners in this fight to keep our communities safe.”
“Straw purchasers and firearm traffickers enable violence by putting guns in the hands of dangerous individuals who cannot legally possess them,” Varisco said.
“ATF stands united with our local, county, state and, federal partners in investigating violent gun crimes and straw purchasing schemes like this. I would like to thank the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for their dedicated work in prosecuting this case.”
Dansby has been in a federal detention facility since being arrested on May 21, 2021, for allegedly lying to federal officials related to firearms purchases as well as other charges.
He was arraigned on Nov. 12, 2021, on new charges of felony counts of corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, unlawful transfer of a firearm, criminal use of communications facilities, corruption of minors, materially False Statements, and multiple related offenses.
A judge set bail at $500,000 cash. Dansby was then transferred back to the federal detention facility.
A juvenile petition was filed in juvenile court on Monday against the unnamed now 18-year-old accused, and he was arrested as a result, authorities said.
The DA's office is looking to have his charges moved from juvenile court to the court of common pleas, due to the "severity of the conduct," authorities said.
Terry-Johnson was charged with unlawful sale/transfer of a firearm, corrupt organizations, conspiracy, altering/obliterating marks of identification, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal use of a communications facility, materially false statements, and related charges.
He is currently in custody on unrelated charges in Delaware and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
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