More ATF Hijinks: Oklahoma Gun Dealer Pleads Guilty, But Questions Remain

Russell Fincher wanted three jobs simply to offer for his household in Joe Biden’s economic system. He taught highschool historical past, served as a Baptist minister and bought weapons and ammunition out of a small shed within the yard of his Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, house. In some way, he additionally discovered time to teach a profitable Little League staff.

For causes which are nonetheless not identified, Fincher got here to the eye of the ATF. A narrative printed final yr chronicled how 15 closely armed ATF brokers raided Fincher’s house June 15, handcuffed him on his deck after which yelled, screamed and threatened the 52-year-old man – in entrance of this 13-year-old son – till he “voluntarily” surrendered his Federal Firearm License (FFL).

In accordance with paperwork filed with the court docket, ATF agent Darrell Withem was liable for the “knock and announce” through the search warrant execution. ATF agent Jon Butler carried the ballistic protect and Agent Ben Nechiporenko took the battering ram, which was not used since Fincher opened the door and allow them to in. Agent Theodore Mongell led the raid.

“You’re carried out. Now we have to close you down,” Fincher recalled Mongell saying. “You inform all of your FFL buddies we’re coming for them. We’re shutting the gun exhibits down.”

The ATF brokers seized dozens of Fincher’s private firearms, which he estimated had been price greater than $50,000.

“Should you’re keen to forfeit them, we will make quite a lot of this go away,” Fincher stated Mongell advised him.

Plea Deal

Final November, a federal grand jury issued a three-count indictment charging Fincher with two felonies and one misdemeanor:

Rely one: Partaking within the enterprise of dealing firearms with out a license, a felony.
Rely two: Promoting ammunition to a prohibited individual, a felony.
Rely three: Making false entry in information by a federal firearms vendor, a misdemeanor.

Fincher was arrested, booked and launched, topic to a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Fincher’s Federal Public Defender negotiated a plea settlement, by which Fincher would plead responsible to promoting ammunition to a prohibited individual, which is punishable by as much as 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 high quality. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the 2 remaining prices as soon as Fincher signed the plea settlement.

The deal would hold Fincher out of jail. Either side agreed that three years of probation can be “the suitable disposition of the case.” The plea settlement additionally specified that Fincher wouldn’t contest the forfeiture of 39 firearms.

There have been two main admissions Fincher must make if he took the plea. The primary required he confess to promoting firearms and ammunition with out a Federal Firearm License, regardless that he had a sound FFL through the dates specified.

“Starting on or about February 2, 2021, and persevering with till on or about June 16, 2023, throughout the Jap District of Oklahoma, I, Russell Richard Fincher, not being a licensed vendor of firearms throughout the that means of Chapter 44, Title 18, United States Code and federal legislation, did willfully interact within the enterprise of dealing in firearms at wholesale and retail. Throughout this time, I devoted time, consideration and labor to dealing in firearms as a daily course of commerce and enterprise with the principal goal of livelihood and revenue by the repetitive buy and resale of firearms. Throughout this time, I additionally devoted time, consideration and labor to dealing in firearms as a daily course of commerce and enterprise to predominately earn a revenue by the repetitive buy and resale of firearms. Lastly, throughout this time interval, the firearms I bought weren’t for the enhancement of a private assortment or for a interest and weren’t a part of my private assortment of firearms, and I did this with the information that my conduct was illegal,” the plea settlement states.

The second admission involved Fincher’s alleged sale of ammunition to a prohibited individual. It doesn’t say how Fincher ought to have identified that the purchaser was a prohibited individual. Like most states, Oklahoma doesn’t require background checks for ammunition purchases.

“Inside the above-mentioned time interval, particularly, on or about Might 5, 2023, I, Russell Richard Fincher, additionally knowingly bought sixty (60) rounds of Sig Sauer branded .40 S&W ammunition to C.I., understanding and having cheap trigger to consider that C.I. had been convicted of a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for a time period exceeding one yr,” the plea settlement states.

There was no elocution-type assertion within the plea settlement pertaining to the misdemeanor cost of constructing false entries in information of a federal firearm vendor.

Fincher signed the plea settlement Might 17, alongside together with his Federal Public Defender, Brian Deer, and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Joshua Satter, who prosecuted the case.

As of Wednesday, Fincher has not but been sentenced by the court docket.

Though he spoke freely for a earlier story, Fincher didn’t return calls looking for remark for this story. It’s not obscure why he took the plea. Few individuals have the monetary assets to defend themselves in opposition to the complete weight of the US Authorities, and a jail sentence would have destroyed his household.

Unanswered Questions

Fincher’s unique indictment was sealed by the court docket. Solely a redacted model is accessible by the federal court docket’s public entry pc system. It incorporates no info on the ATF investigation that led to the search warrant, raid and arrest.

Assistant U.S. Lawyer Joshua Satter declined to remark in regards to the investigation, and referred inquiries to Assistant U.S. Lawyer Jarrod Leaman, prosecutor and public info officer for the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Jap District of Oklahoma.

Leaman wouldn’t say why Fincher was charged with partaking within the enterprise of dealing firearms with out a license, when he had a sound FFL.

“Litigation continues to be pending,” Leaman stated Wednesday. “I can not remark outdoors the 4 corners of the indictment.”

As a substitute, Leaman pointed to depend three of Fincher’s indictment, the misdemeanor cost that accused him of constructing false entries in information by an FFL. The indictment alleges Fincher falsely recorded in his Acquisition and Disposition ebook that a number of firearms, principally Palmetto State Armory decrease receivers, had been transferred to a celebration recognized as “T.F.,” once they weren’t truly transferred.

Leaman wouldn’t say how Fincher was alleged to know that the ammunition purchaser, recognized solely as “C.I.” was a prohibited individual.

“I can’t touch upon that subject material,” he stated.

Neither would Leaman say if “C.I.” referred to the purchaser’s initials or stood for “confidential informant.”

“I can’t remark about that,” Leaman stated.

Takeaways

The actual query doesn’t contain who purchased a pair packing containers of ammo, or what Fincher wrote in his A&D ebook.

The actual query is why ATF would hassle with a man like Fincher in any respect.

Throughout a current listening to of the Home Judiciary Committee, ATF Director Steve Dettelbach claimed his brokers goal trigger-pullers, shooters and gun traffickers, the “worst of the worst.”

These days, hardcore gang members management many traditionally blue cities, and Mexican drug cartel sicarios function with impunity on each side of our porous border. These are murderous, closely armed psychopaths and positively qualify as Dettelbach’s “worst of the worst.” Nonetheless, the ATF isn’t pursuing them with the identical vigor they’ve proven for softer targets, like Baptist ministers and sleepy airport executives like Brian Malinowski.

Fincher’s case concerned a dangerous SWAT-type raid, the forfeiture of $50,000 price of firearms, a teen who was critically traumatized and a high-school trainer, clergyman and revered member of his neighborhood with no earlier felony historical past who’s now a convicted felon, all for the violation of a single ATF rule – the very definition of a victimless crime.

I requested Leaman if this constituted justice.

“I don’t have any remark outdoors of the 4 corners of the plea settlement,” he stated.

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