SAN ANTONIO — A federal grand jury in San Antonio indicted a New Braunfels man with eight counts related to smuggling of firearm parts into Mexico along with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Court documents state that Chandler Bradford allegedly engaged in a multimillion-dollar scheme to illegally smuggle thousands of semi-automatic rifles to a citizen in Mexico. Bradford reportedly supplied enough firearm parts to "arm the recipient with approximately 4,800 semi-automatic rifles" without having a license to export the parts from the United States to Mexico. The documents also state Bradford provided the citizen with the parts, tools and counsel needed to build a "full firearm manufacturing enterprise in northern Mexico" which Bradford received upwards of $3.5 million from.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza announced Bradford is charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to transfer firearms for use in a felony, four counts of aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods from the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
If convicted, Bradford is facing up to 20 years in prison which will be decided by a federal court judge after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case with assistance from the Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Calve is prosecuting the case," said the United States Attorney's Office - Western District of Texas.
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