Annville Man Sentenced To 30 Months’ Imprisonment For Selling Ghost Guns

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Hector Colon, age 35, of Annville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to serve 30 months' imprisonment, 12 months' supervised release, and $100 in financial penalties based upon his guilty plea to conspiracy to engage in the business of selling firearms without a license.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, from August 5, 2021 through January 5, 2022, Colon and Samuel Snader sold 28 Privately Made Firearms (PMFs), commonly referred to as ghost guns, and 420 rounds of ammunition without a federal firearms license. Colon negotiated the sales and Snader built the firearms using kits purchased over the internet. The firearms were sold for cash and provided in person by Snader in the parking lot of a Walmart. The Court found that under the circumstances, Colon had a reason to believe the firearms would be possessed by a prohibited person or used in a felony offense and exhibited, "a blind indifference to public safety." All 28 firearms and ammunition were recovered by law enforcement.

PMFs are firearms, including a frame or receiver, that was completed, assembled, or otherwise produced by a person other than a licensed manufacturer. PMFs may be manufactured using a 3D printing process or any other process and require a serial number or register to be added to legally sell the firearm for livelihood or profit. The licensee must mark PMFs with a unique serial number within seven days or prior to disposition. PMFs are commonly referred to as "ghost guns" because of the difficulty in tracking them. From 2016 to 2021, approximately 45,240 suspected PMFs were recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott F. Ford prosecuted the case.

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