A Dover man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge, after he admitted using a “straw” purchaser to buy guns for him because he was a convicted felon, authorities said.
Christopher T. Brown, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Concord to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 at his sentencing on May 14, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case.
The charges stem from an incident on Jan. 9, 2023, when Brown’s wife called 911 and reported that she and Brown had had an argument and he had a gun to his head.
Dover police responded and searched the home, where they found two pistols, a rifle and a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun, as well as ammunition, officials said.
“The defendant later admitted to owning the firearms and knowing that he could not lawfully possess them as a felon,” the news release said. “The defendant also admitted that he used a straw purchaser to purchase three of the firearms and asked that straw purchaser to file a false police report that the firearms she bought were stolen.”
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation in the case, with assistance from Dover police.
