6 Men Convicted of Conspiring to Traffic Guns
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of six conspirators responsible for trafficking more than 100 firearms pleaded guilty in federal court here today.
Jadden I. Bedell, 21, of Cleveland, admitted to his role in the conspiracy involving 114 guns.
According to court documents, between January and May 2022, the defendants illegally dealt in firearms without a federal firearms license. Many of the firearms were resold in Cleveland and Rochester, New York, and have been recovered in connection with other crimes and shootings.
Two defendants – Brian R. Cunningham, 43, of Marysville, Ohio, and Tyson Rathburn, 47, of Ashville, Ohio – purchased the guns at licensed firearms dealers in the Southern District of Ohio, including at Frazier Firearms LLC, George Washinguns LLC and Rural King. The pair sometimes used straw purchasers to obtain guns. The defendants then listed the firearms for sale online at marked-up prices.
The four other co-conspirators completed a series of trips from Cleveland to Columbus to purchase the firearms from Cunningham and Rathburn. Two of those customer co-defendants, Charles L. Jackson, 28, of Rochester, New York, and Anthony D. Redmond, 59, of Cleveland, were prohibited from possessing firearms because they had previously been convicted of or are currently under indictment for felony crimes.
Beddell, Jackson, Redmon and Martino D. Lorenzi, 35, of Cleveland, met with Cunningham and Rathburn multiple times at gas stations and stores in the Southern District of Ohio to purchase handguns.
For example, on March 19, 2022, Beddell and Jackson met Rathburn near a gas station in Marengo, Ohio, to buy 42 firearms for $14,000 total.
In May 2022, Beddell, Jackson and Lorenzi purchased 16 firearms from an undercover ATF agent.
Each of the six defendants has pleaded guilty to conspiring to deal in the business of firearms without a license, which is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Jackson has been sentenced to 51 months in prison, and his five co-defendants await sentencing.
Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing is determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); announced the guilty plea offered today. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.
