GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two men from Flint, Michigan have been charged with fraudulently acquiring firearms from licensed dealers in Michigan and Ohio to resell to others for profit. They are 23-year-old Jonathan Michael Brown and 24-year-old Jalen Kenyatta-Malik Jackson.
According to the Department of Justice, Brown and Jackson illegal purchased 62 firearms using multiple fraudulent methods. Brown, who had previously been convicted of a felony offense, could not legally possess any firearms. It is alleged that Brown posed as another person using the other person’s driver’s license and credit card numbers of other victims, to make the purchase. Brown also recruited Jackson to make false statements to gun dealers.
Brown was charged with two counts of making false statements to a firearms dealer, two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, two counts of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. Jackson was charged with two counts of making false statements to firearms dealers, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. If convicted, both men face a maximum of 20 years in prison on wire fraud charges and a maximum of 10 years in prison for making false statements to firearms dealers. They could also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and other monetary penalties. Brown also could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and a mandatory consecutive two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.
