KANSAS
Kansas man was sentenced Monday to four years and four months in prison for his role in a scheme involving the illegal export of firearms from the United States using a hidden online marketplace, federal officials said.
Michael Andrew Ryan, aka Brad Jones and GunRunner, 36, of Manhattan, Kansas, had plead guilty to six counts of exporting and attempting to export firearms illegally from the United States to individuals located in other countries on June 6, 2016.
He was arrested on Oct. 6, 2016.
In addition to imposing today’s prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the District of Kansas ordered Ryan to forfeit all firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
In connection with his plea, Ryan admitted that he used the hidden internet marketplace Black Market Reloaded, a website hosted on the Tor network where users can traffic anonymously in illegal drugs and other illegal goods.
Ryan unlawfully export or attempt to export firearms from the United States to Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Victoria, Australia.
These goods included dozens of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, UZIs and Glocks, some from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered or obliterated, as well as magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.