Richard Seawright, a 28-year-old resident of Cleveland, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster after Seawright pled guilty to reselling firearms without a federal license and falsifying documents.
Court records indicate that between April 17, 2018, and December 12, 2022, Seawright legally purchased over 50 firearms from federally licensed dealers across Northeast Ohio. He admitted to lying on federal firearms transaction record forms, falsely claiming he was the actual buyer. These forms are required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to ensure buyers understand restrictions on firearm possession. Buyers must certify they do not intend to transfer or sell the firearm. Seawright confessed to buying these firearms with the intent to sell them to individuals who were legally prohibited from purchasing or owning guns. This practice is known as 'straw purchasing.'
The investigation revealed that Seawright resold these firearms illegally and they were linked to multiple violent incidents. The ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) traced some of these firearms back to crimes, including a homicide.
This case was investigated by ATF-Cleveland and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Kane for the Northern District of Ohio.