SAD NEWS: A Philadelphia Man Given a Ten-year Prison Sentence For Selling Of…

A guy from Philadelphia was given a ten-year prison term for organising the straw purchase and subsequent sale of more than sixty firearms.

Tyrell Taylor, 29, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $2,800 special assessment by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero on Friday. Taylor had been encouraging people to buy guns with straws and then reselling those weapons on the streets of Philadelphia.

The Attorney General’s Office claims that Taylor and his accomplices unlawfully bought more than 60 weapons from local gun shops in the Philadelphia region in less than six months.

More than 20 of those weapons, including at least nine that were used in shootings, were reportedly retrieved after being used in crimes, according to officials. A portion of the firearms featured large-capacity magazines, some had their serial numbers wiped, and some were modified to fully automatic shooting.

On June 20, 2023, Taylor was charged with conspiracy and aiding and abetting the making of false representations to a federal weapons licensee, according to a 28-count indictment released by the Attorney General’s Office. On November 2, 2023, he entered a guilty plea to all charges.

According to U.S. Attorney Romero, “Philadelphia is already awash in illegal guns and Taylor flooded the streets with over 60 more.” We are aware that a large number of these weapons were used in violent crimes and that many were sold to convicts who were not permitted to own firearms. This kind of straw purchase and gun trafficking directly adds to the mounting victim count and gun violence issue in our community.”