Colorado gun shop owners plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Two owners of a federal firearms licensee in Colorado pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. , according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

On July 25, Campbell Slayden, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. On Sept. 23, Anthony Gallegos, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.

Slayden and Gallegos were co-owners of Modern Arms and Optics LLC in Wheat Ridge, which operated from 2019-2023.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Slayden and Gallegos hid information, misled and averted injuries by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. During the course of their business, the office said the duo concealed unlawful firearms manufacturing practices in federally required records.

The attorney’s office also said Slayden and Gallegos transferred firearms to people who were not legally allowed to own firearms. They used a practice known as “straw purchasing.”

“It is crucial for gun shop owners and dealers to follow the laws that help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep our communities safe,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who breaks or evades those laws.”

The attorney’s office said this case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

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