LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A North Hollywood man pleaded guilty on Thursday to acting as an unlicensed gun broker by selling 16 rifles and handguns – many without serial numbers – as well as various accessories.
Arthur Muradyan, 32, entered his plea to the federal charge of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. He also pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine for selling nearly a pound of the drug to an undercover investigator, according to the US attorney’s office.
Muradyan faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison for the drug-distribution charge, and up to five years for the weapons charge, prosecutors noted. Sentencing was set for Aug. 25.
According to his plea agreement, Muradyan “willfully offered to, and did, sell firearms, firearms accessories and ammunition, including: machine guns; semiautomatic firearms with large capacity magazines; firearms bearing no legitimate manufacturer’s mark or serial number – commonly referred to as ‘ghost guns’; and unregistered and unserialized short-barreled rifles.”
Many of the guns had been trafficked from Las Vegas and sold to an informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last year.
Muradyan sold methamphetamine to the informant on the same day he sold a semi-automatic 9mm handgun and a machine gun conversion device known as a “Glock switch,” according to the plea agreement.