PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Kevin Elcock, 33, of Newark, NJ was sentenced to 30 months’ incarceration by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl.

The defendant was sentenced after pleading guilty to seven counts of making false statements to federally licensed firearm dealers in Northampton and Bucks Counties.  From December 27, 2016 through July 31, 2018, on seven different occasions, Elcock lied about his state of residence – claiming that he lived in Pennsylvania when he actually lived in New Jersey.  Those lies were a federal crime.  The defendant lied in this manner because he claimed it was “easier” to purchase firearms in Pennsylvania than in New Jersey.   The defendant then sold many of the guns that he purchased to people with criminal histories who would otherwise not have been able to purchase weapons legally.

“Federal laws for purchasing and owning firearms exist to protect public safety, and this defendant purposefully and arrogantly flouted those laws,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain.  “Reducing violent crime by keeping illegal guns off of our streets is a top priority for the Department of Justice and my Office.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza.