HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) alleges a New York man with ties to the West End came to the Richmond-area by bus to pick up “Mac and Ruger guns,” purchased for him at a gun show illegally.
Now another man is in trouble for helping out.
The ATF says they were going after Jake Knight for trafficking in firearms. Court documents say he's known to traffic guns from Richmond to the Bronx.
Through that investigation they learned of Jermaine Barlow, a man federal agents would arrest for allegedly orchestrating a straw purchase from a recent gun show.
Jake Knight
"When that kind of transaction is made, it is something a judge comes down pretty hard on, especially if it's someone who's known to redistribute it or use it for a violent purpose," said CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone.
Knight is a convicted felon, and court documents say he met Barlow in the front yard of a relative’s home in the 9100 block of Gayton Road.
They say the men were under surveillance when the gun exchange went down in the front yard. There was then a traffic stop and the guns were recovered.
"The feds will bring these kinds of cases, especially if there's good intelligence like surveillance video or undercover buys," said Stone.
ATF agents claim Barlow had supplied Knight on three different occasions with close to twelve guns.
Documents also say one of the latest guns was bought through a third party, via a straw purchase at a recent gun show at Richmond International Raceway.
"Those statutes are designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people," Stone said.
Knight is still behind bars, but Barlow made bond after a federal court hearing.
