Two Los Angeles County men are accused of participating in a scheme to illegally sell dozens of guns through Instagram, some of which were untraceable.
The two men, Azusa resident Ivan Quintos, 27, and Whittier resident Salvador Lopez, 24, were charged in a federal grand jury indictment along with two men from Henderson, Nevada, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors alleged the four men sold more than 60 firearms, including untraceable “ghost guns” and “Glock switches,” which allow people to convert their handguns into fully automatic weapons.
If convicted, Quintos faces a maximum prison sentence of 35 years, while Lopez faces a maximum of 15 years. Quintos pleaded not guilty and is expected to appear in court again on August 6. Lopez is expected to enter a plea at his July 9 arraignment.
The two men worked with Henderson residents Mark Perez, 22, and Zachary Dry, 23, to sell the firearms through direct messages and public Instagram posts, according to the 11-count indictment. Federal prosecutors alleged that in addition to the ghost guns, the defendants also sold guns with scratched-off serial numbers and others that had been stolen.
According to the DOJ, they allegedly sold these weapons in North Hollywood, Las Vegas and several other areas.
If convicted, Perez faces a maximum prison sentence of 100 years, while Dry faces 25 years. Both men were prohibited from possessing weapons due to prior convictions in Nevada.
