Man receives maximum sentence for selling ghost guns

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man was sentenced in federal court Friday to five years in prison after he admitted that he illegally sold 23 firearms, including five ghost guns, to undercover agents, the office of U.S. attorney Tara McGrath stated.

According to a release Friday, 24-year-old Omar Jauregui, of Brawley, had five transactions, one of which involved selling a machinegun conversion device to undercover agents.

When integrated with a semiautomatic firearm, the device would be converted to fire in a fully-automatic capacity and therefore is defined as a machinegun under federal law, the attorney’s office stated.

According to the attorney’s office, ghost guns are not made by firearms manufacturers but instead assembled into a firearm using different parts and specialized tools. They also lack serial numbers which makes them virtually untraceable, the attorney’s office said.

Jauregui was charged with dealing in firearms without a license and the maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.