Owner of Dave’s Gunshop in Lafayette Indicted on Federal Firearms Charges
Two people from Broussard and an associated firearms business in Lafayette have been indicted on several federal firearms charges.
Jeremiah Micah Deare, 37, Sarah Elaine Fogle, 30, and Dave's Gunshop, LLC have been charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in the business dealing in firearms without a license, two counts of making false statements with respect to records of a licensed firearms dealer, and four counts of failure to file multiple sales reports.
With the indictment, prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of 619 firearms involved in the commission of these offenses.
Deare owns Dave's Gunshop and is the responsible party for Dave's Federal Firearms License. Neither Deare nor Fogle held a Federal Firearms License in their individual capacities.
According to a press release, Dave's was warned for numerous violations back on August 13, 2019, when a compliance inspection was conducted at the business by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
On that same day, the ATF investigator provided an Acknowledgement of Federal Firearms Regulations informing Dave's and Deare of their responsibilities as a Federal Firearms License holder. Deare signed the acknowledgment stating that he understood he was responsible for familiarizing himself with the laws and regulations governing the operation of his gun shop.
Deare attended an in-person warning conference with ATF agents in Baton Rouge on September 19, 2019, to discuss the violations and develop a corrective plan.
According to the indictment, Deare and Fogle would buy and sell large numbers of firearms at estate sales and similar venues, then fail to log their acquisition or sale. They also didn't document guns sold on consignment at their business and kept guns at their home without logging them out of the store's inventory, and then sell at gun shows in Louisiana and out-of-state.
Their failure to conduct background checks resulted in the sales of firearms to prohibited persons, including convicted felons.
Furthermore, the sales of firearms at gun shows outside the state were not done through a dealer licensed in the state where the gun show was held as required by law. The proceeds from the out-of-state gun sales of firearms were not reported as revenue for Dave's, but instead, Deare and Fogle would pocket the cash.