Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested four of the men Saturday at the J&J Flea Market. The fifth suspect surrendered, ATF Special Agent Marc Jackson said.
The arrests came after a 17-month investigation. Undercover agents bought guns sold illegally, and at least one agent told a seller he was not a Georgia resident, according to indictments unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.
Some of the unlicensed dealers also sold weapons to convicted felons and illegal immigrants, the indictments say.
The men arrested at the flea market are Thomas Hallman, 77, of Athens; Jack Prough, 62, of Winder; Albert Stephens, 72, of Greensboro; and Charles Murphy, 63, of Canon. Gerald Barnes, 65, of Maysville, surrendered to authorities after learning he was wanted, the ATF said.
Jackson said he did not know if the men worked together or separately at the flea market.
Among the accusations, the indictment says Hallman sold a .38-caliber revolver and a Norinco SKS semiautomatic rifle to customers he knew were in the United States illegally. He is also accused of selling another revolver to someone he knew was a convicted felon.
One of the illegal guns Prough is accused of selling was a .22-caliber Magnum Derringer, a small, easily concealed weapon belonging to a special class of firearms, like machine guns and silencers, that must be registered with the ATF, Jackson said.
All five suspects appeared Monday in federal court. Each was granted $10,000 bond and released, a court clerk said. They are to be arraigned Friday.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/10/102999