East Hartford man assembled ghost guns from apartment
EAST HARTFORD — A local man convicted of manufacturing ghost guns was sentenced to a year and a half in prison Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Audley Rives, aged 30, is allowed to leave on $50,000 bail and must report to prison by Jan 6. The office said that Reeves, who is a Jamaican citizen will be facing immigration proceedings once he has been released.
In late 2021, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force began investigating John Lee Ortiz and others for allegedly selling so-called “ghost guns” — illegal homemade firearms that do not possess serial numbers nor other identifying features. During the investigation, task force members made controlled purchases of seven handguns, a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle, and multiple rounds of ammunition from Ortiz, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The office stated that most handguns had no serial numbers and lower receivers that looked like they were printed on a 3-D printer.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Reeves was later identified as the gunmaker. According to the office, Ortiz and Reeves were taken into custody on January 5. Investigators found six fully assembled guns, approximately 25 partially assembled guns, gun parts and tools for building guns in an East Hartford apartment on Church Street.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators claimed that a 3-D printer was printing an AR-15-style riflestock at the time of the search.
According to the office, Reeves pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to manufacturing firearms without a license. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea sentenced Reeves to 18 months imprisonment in Hartford.
According to the office Ortiz pleaded guilty Nov. 8 to engaging the in the business of dealing firearms without a licence and possession with the intent to distribute Fentanyl. His sentence is set for February 3.