Fleet Farm linked to more straw purchases in federal gun charges
Several more firearms obtained through illegal "straw purchases" have been traced back to Fleet Farm stores in Minnesota, according to new federal charges.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A federal investigation has linked several more straw purchases of firearms back to Fleet Farm locations in Minnesota, according to court records.
Fleet Farm denies allegations that it failed to stop straw buyers
By the numbers:
William Burton is charged with unlawfully acquiring at least 43 firearms by making false statements to licensed firearms dealers. Prosecutors say Burton acted as a "straw" buyer for someone else, including several co-conspirators who later used the guns in criminal activity. One of the guns purchased by Burton was used in the deadly shooting of 6-year-old Aniya Allen in 2021, according to investigators.
Burton purchased at least nine firearms from Fleet Farm locations in Blaine and Brooklyn Park, according to a federal indictment unsealed last month.
Fleet Farm is currently being sued by the State of Minnesota for failing to do enough to prevent straw purchases from its stores.
The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the lawsuit in 2022, one year after the deadly shooting at the Truck Park Bar in downtown St. Paul, which involved a gun that had been acquired through a straw purchase.
The convicted straw purchaser in that case bought 24 firearms from Fleet Farm locations, including the stores in Brooklyn Park and Blaine listed in the new federal investigation.
ATF flagged Fleet Farm for selling a high number of ‘crime guns’
Fleet Farm flagged for guns tied to crime
Fleet Farm is currently being sued by the State of Minnesota for not doing enough to stop illegal straw purchases. FOX 9 Investigator Nathan O'Neal has the story.
Dig deeper:
The FOX 9 Investigators found last year that Fleet Farm had also been repeatedly flagged by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for selling a high number of guns that quickly turned up at crime scenes.
One of those guns, a fully loaded 9mm Glock with a round in the chamber, was found by a 6-year-old boy in September 2021 following an overnight shooting near his home in Minneapolis.
ATF records revealed six different Fleet Farm locations across the Midwest, including stores in Brooklyn Park and Oakdale, received demand letters from the ATF indicating at least 25 "crime guns" were traced to those locations.
In a previous statement, Fleet Farm downplayed the impact of receiving a demand letter from the ATF, saying it does not indicate the retailer has done anything wrong or that a firearm was purchased unlawfully.
The company added it is "committed to meeting or exceeding all requirements relating to the sale of firearms."
What's next:
Burton, 26, is currently being held in the Sherburne County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 14, but his lawyers have requested more time to review the evidence.
The lawsuit against Fleet Farm is scheduled to go to trial later this year.
Fleet Farm has asked a federal judge to grant summary judgment in its favor, arguing "there is no evidence" that it knew customers were engaging in straw purchasing at the time of the sales.