Three men were recently convicted for trafficking firearms and gun-related offenses, according to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
Buchanan said Alvin Marvin Demar, 47, of Decatur and Joshua Carter, 29, of McDonough were sentenced to federal prison for trafficking dozens of firearms that were recovered from crime scenes in several states and Canada. Jamal Plunkett, 36, of Snellville was sentenced for possessing one of the trafficked firearms in Gainesville.
According to court documents, between July 2021 and January 2022, Demar paid people including Carter to straw purchase dozens of handguns in the metro Atlanta area.
Demar sold the straw-purchased weapons to other people who also trafficked them or used them in additional crimes.
Straw purchasing is when someone buys something for another person when that person cannot make the purchase.
Buchanan said the guns purchased and sold by Carter and Demar were recovered from crime scenes in Gainesville, Atlanta, Baltimore, MD, Washington D.C., French Camp, CA as well as Edmonton and Toronto, Canada.
Some of the guns were used in crimes including a Glock purchased by Carter in Nov. 2021 that was used in three shootings in Atlanta.
Carter also purchased a Ruger pistol with an extended magazine that was stolen by Plunkett who discharged the gun 17 times in Gainesville.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Demar to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Demar was convicted of two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer, making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer and possession of an unregistered destructive device. He pleaded guilty to these charges on March 27.
Carter was sentenced by Judge Ross to three years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release on June 5, 2024. He was convicted of conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer after he pleaded guilty on January 23.
U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones sentenced Plunkett in a separate case on October 10, 2023. He is currently serving a four-year and three-month sentence in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Plunkett was convicted of possession of a stolen firearm after he pleaded guilty on May 19, 2023.
The Gainesville Police Department assisted in the investigation.
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