Eagle River man guilty of trafficking firearms from Alaska to California

Press Release

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A federal jury convicted an Eagle River man late last week for trafficking firearms from Alaska to California after a five-day trial.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from February 2021 to April 2022, Cornelius Smith, 33, bought 28 firearms from gun stores and private parties in Alaska. During that same time period, Smith received around $9,000 total in payments from various Sacramento-based family members and associates. The payments often corresponded to the price Smith paid for the guns.

After five of those firearms were recovered in the Sacramento area, Smith's frequent firearm purchases were reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and an investigation commenced.

In April 2022, ATF agents searched Smith's home and found empty gun boxes in his room for many of the firearms he purchased in 2021. None of the recently purchased firearms were found in the boxes or in his home.

Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that on June 24, 2021, Smith flew from Anchorage to Sacramento and declared that he was carrying "shooting equipment." After that flight, the firearms that Smith bought in the days prior began turning up in California, as early as July 4, 2021. Smith made multiple other flights to and from Sacramento thereafter.

Law enforcement recovered 13 of Smith's 28 firearms in California. Two of the firearms were possessed by Smith's Sacramento-based relatives, Andrew and Adam Williams. Adam Williams, now deceased, was a felon and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms. None of the firearms have been recovered in Alaska, and 15 are still unaccounted for.

Smith was found guilty on Nov. 1 of one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and 10 counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Smith was found not guilty of one count of transferring a firearm to an out-of-state-resident.

"Straw purchasing firearms - buying a gun with the intent to transfer it to another person illegally - poses a serious risk to our communities," said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. "We thank our law enforcement partners in Alaska and California for their assistance in this successful investigation and prosecution. We remain committed to combatting firearms trafficking from source states, like Alaska, to areas with higher demand and profit margins."

"Straw purchasing and trafficking firearms is extremely irresponsible, dangerous and illegal," said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. "The firearms Mr. Smith purchased were recovered by law enforcement agencies in California, and with 15 still unaccounted for, they still pose a danger to whichever communities they are in right now. This is not a victimless crime."

The ATF Seattle Field Division and Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Sheriff's Office, Sacramento Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Folsom Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Daly City Police Department, Vacaville Police Department and Citrus Heights Police Department, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Ainsley McNerney are prosecuting the case.

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Updated November 4, 2024