RALEIGH, N.C. – A South Carolina man admitted in court to selling dozens of powerful military-style rifles at gun shows and in hotel parking lots without requiring any paperwork or background checks.
Michael A. Beas of Greer, S.C., pleaded guilty Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Charlotte to a felony count of dealing firearms without a license.
Prosecutors say a Charlotte gun store owner alerted federal officials in August after Beas legally purchased 13 semi-automatic AK-47 rifles over the Internet. Court records showed Beas admitted selling high-powered weapons at gun shows in the Carolinas and Georgia, including parts for .50-caliber sniper rifles capable of piercing an inch of steel armor. He said he didn't track who bought the guns.
Beas faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.
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