Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Las Vegas man charged in illegal sales of firearms that were used in crimes

A Las Vegas man authorities say illegally sold dozens of firearms later connected to crimes in Nevada, Southern California and Mexico, was charged today in federal court, according to the U.S. attorney for Nevada.

Sylvester Mitchell, 47, appeared in court today, where he was charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license, officials said. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.

Mitchell, who did not have a license to sell firearms, would buy weapons and resell them through backpage.com, officials said. Between January 2004 to November 2017, Mitchell bought 438 weapons, about 200 of them last year, officials said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many firearms he sold through the years, but 42 were connected to crimes in the U.S. and Mexico, officials said. “Two of the most recent recoveries were from homicide scenes in Las Vegas.”

Authorities beginning last summer into the fall, conducted multiple undercover purchases from Mitchell, officials said.

Mitchell is next scheduled to appear in front of a judge on May 16, 2018, officials said. The case was investigated by Metro Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.