St. Louis County Felon Who Sold Guns, Drugs to ATF Found Guilty at Trial

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis County felon who repeatedly sold guns and drugs to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was found guilty Thursday of multiple charges.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Brandon Shaw, 44, guilty of five counts of distributing a controlled substance, six counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being an unlicensed dealer of firearms. The trial began Monday.

Evidence and testimony at the trial showed that a confidential informant arranged for Shaw to sell a firearm to an undercover ATF agent on Sept. 13, 2023. Over the next four months, Shaw sold 10 more firearms, over four pounds of methamphetamine and over 30 grams of fentanyl to the agent in multiple transactions that were audio and video recorded. Some guns Shaw built himself. Another was stolen.

Shaw testified during his trial, admitting that he built firearms and that he was caught on tape selling guns and drugs to the ATF agent. He also admitted knowing that it is illegal for a felon to build or possess firearms.

Shaw has a prior conviction in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On July 1, 2021, he was sentenced to two years in prison. On Jan. 6, 2023, he was sentenced to four months for violating the terms of his supervised release. He was on supervised release when he committed his current crimes.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Joseph Green are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.