LOS ANGELES
A former cop with the Pasadena Police Department plead guilty to two federal felony offenses related to the illegal sale of more than 100 firearms over the course of three years, officials announced Friday.
Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, 48, who resigned from the Pasadena Police Department in March after a 22-year career, signed a plea agreement filed in federal court on Friday.
Gourdikian agreed to plead guilty to engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Gourdikian has agreed to appear before federal Judge Stephen V. Wilson on Sept. 20 to formally enter guilty pleas to the two felony offenses.
From March 2014 through February 2017, Gourdikian sold at least 108 firearms without a license.
Gourdikian used his official status as a police officer to purchase firearms that were not available to the general public, and then sold restricted firearms, known as “off roster” firearms, through third-party transfers to members of the public.
Gourdkian would often highlight the unique status of “off roster” firearms to solicit a buyer’s interest and to generate higher sale prices.
“Many of the firearms that defendant sold were “off roster” firearms, that is, firearms that defendant’s non-law enforcement customers could not have purchased directly from a licensed firearms dealer,” according to the plea agreement.
While police officers were not prohibited from selling “off roster” firearms to members of the general public, Gourdikian “made a business of dealing firearms without a license, in part, by abusing exemptions made available to him under California law as a sworn peace officer,” he admitted in the plea agreement.
The false statement offense relates to an ATF “re-certification” form Gourdikian signed in 2014 when he took possession of a handgun.
Gourdikian admitted in the plea agreement that he “misrepresented that he was the actual buyer of a firearm when, in fact, and as the defendant then well knew, he was purchasing the firearm for another individual.”
Gourdikian admitted that he re-sold the gun to another person on the same day he acquired it from the gun dealer.
Gourdikain further admitted that he “capitalized on his peace officer status” that allowed him to circumvent the usual 10-day waiting period and enabled him to purchase more than one handgun in a 30-day period.
“Mr. Gourdikian used his position as a law enforcement officer to purchase firearms generally not available to the public so he could turn around and illegally sell them for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna. “His actions clearly violated federal law and introduced unauthorized firearms into the community. By his participating in these illegal acts, Gourdikian compromised public safety and violated the public’s trust.”
In the plea agreement, Gourdikian agreed to forfeit 68 firearms and agreed to a recommended prison sentence of 30 months.
This recommendation, however, will not be binding on Judge Wilson, who could impose a sentence of up to 15 years in prison after Gourdikian pleads guilty to the two charges, according to officials.