Former top Monroe County official accused of selling guns to known felons
The former top unelected Monroe County official is accused of knowingly selling guns to convicted felons on several occasions, according to documents released Thursday.
Federal prosecutors say Tom Willi, who was county administrator from 2004 to 2007, and his business partner, Jarvis Nelson Osorio, also falsified records to conceal the allegedly illegal arms sales.
Each man faces the following charges: One count of conspiracy to commit firearms violations; two counts of selling firearms to a convicted felon; one count of illegally selling guns as a licensed dealer; and two counts of failure of a licensed dealer to keep proper records. Combined, the charges could land each man in federal prison for up to 25 years.
Willi and Osorio own Outbreak Ordnance Gun Shop on County Road on Big Pine Key. It's not clear if they are in custody. Neither man could be reached for comment.
The indictment states Willi and Osorio had a person with no felony record fill out required federal background documents stating he or she was the one buying the weapons. Then Willi and Osorio would actually sell the guns to the intended buyer, a man with a felony record. Felons cannot legally buy firearms.
“It was the purpose of this conspiracy to enrich the defendants and their co-conspirators by illegally selling firearms in exchange for U.S. currency,” the indictment reads.
Both the felon seeking to buy the guns and the non-felon offering to fill out the forms — known as ATF Form 4473 — were undercover informants.
Prosecutors also allege Willi and Osorio delivered pistols to buyers before the mandatory three-day waiting period ended.
These transactions happened between September 2014 and February 2015, according to the indictment.
Federal agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration raided Outbreak Ordnance Thursday morning. Both Willi and Osorio were placed in handcuffs while agents went through their store.
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This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Former top Monroe County official accused of selling guns to known felons."