Former Sacramento deputy pleads to illegal firearms sales | Crime

SACRAMENTO, CA - A former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy pled guilty to dealing in firearm sales without a license as part of a firearm straw-buyer scheme, federal prosecutors say.

According to court documents, Thomas Lu, 42, of Elk Grove, came in possession of 34 handguns since 2008 and 27 of them were certain high-capacity firearms that law enforcement officers can buy but not the general public. Peace officers can sell the firearms to private parties via a federal firearms licensed dealer but not resale them for the purpose of buying and selling for profit. Court records state Lu transferred 23 of the firearms to a private party and 18 of them were transferred within a year of purchase.

Another former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, Ryan McGowan, 31, of Elk Grove, and federal firearms licensee Robert Snellings, 61, of Rancho Murieta, and Ulysses Simpson Grant Early IV, 36, of Sacramento, have also been charged in the case.

Sentencing for Lu was set for Nov. 20. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release after serving time.