North Carolina soldier accused of illegal gun trafficking, lying about involvement with insurrectionist groups

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (WNCN) – A U.S. Army soldier at Fort Liberty could face up to three decades in prison after being accused of illegal gun trafficking and making a false statement to the government, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Aug. 14, charging Kai Liam Nix, also known as Kai Brazelton, with unlawful firearms trafficking, including the sale of two stolen firearms, prosecutors said.

The 20-year-old active-duty soldier is also accused of lying to the government about his previous experience with insurrectionist groups. He was arrested on Aug. 15 and made his first appearance in court on Monday.

According to court documents, Nix made a false statement on his security clearance application standard form, claiming he had “never been a member of a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the U.S. government,” the news release stated.

Nix was also charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of selling a stolen firearm, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

“A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors,” the news release stated.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as well as the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Department, are investigating the case.

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