An Eagle River man, Cornelius Smith, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trafficking firearms from Alaska to California. Smith will also serve three years on supervised release and complete 120 hours of community service.
Court documents reveal that between February 2021 and April 2022, Smith purchased 28 firearms from private parties and federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) in Alaska. During June 2021 alone, he acquired 17 firearms from FFLs, affirming each time that he was the actual transferee/buyer.
Smith transported these firearms to Sacramento, declaring them as "shooting equipment." Ten days after one purchase in June, a firearm was recovered near Sacramento. In total, 14 out of the 28 firearms have been found during criminal investigations related to attempted homicides, robberies, and gang-related shootings in the Sacramento area. Some of these weapons were modified with large capacity magazines or automatic firing capabilities.
Smith received approximately $9,000 from family members and associates based in Sacramento corresponding to the price he paid for the guns. A search of his home revealed empty gun boxes with serial numbers matching those purchased but no firearms were found.
On November 1, 2024, following a five-day trial by jury in Anchorage, Smith was convicted on 11 counts of firearms trafficking out of a total of 12 charges.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman stated: “Mr. Smith deliberately purchased firearms in Alaska for the sole purpose of illegally trafficking them to prohibited individuals in California... Let this conviction and sentence highlight that the straw purchase of firearms in Alaska - especially for the purpose of supplying the firearms to violent criminals - will be prosecuted."
ATF Seattle Special Agent Jonathan Blais added: “This investigation exemplifies ATF’s commitment to aggressively pursue and disrupt the flow of firearms to criminals... His callous disregard for laws and lack of moral conduct earned him this sentence."
The case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies including ATF Anchorage Field Office and several California police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ainsley McNerney and Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.