Las Vegas man with violent past sentenced on ghost gun charge

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A Las Vegas man with a previous felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon was sentenced Monday to 44 months in prison for unlawful possession of a ghost gun.

Justin Edward Brown, 37, pleaded guilty in February to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.

Ghost guns are untraceable weapons either built from kits or assembled from separate pieces. They don’t have serial numbers.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Brown after a June 14, 2022, incident when Brown was caught with a “privately manufactured” 9x19mm semiautomatic pistol. The weapon had a Polymer 80 lower receiver and ammunition. Because of previous convictions, Brown is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

In February 2013, Brown was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, and in May 2014 he was convicted of possession of a firearm by an ex-felon. His Nevada Department of Corrections record indicates he was paroled from High Desert State Prison, but was caught possessing a firearm again in May 2018.

In addition to the 44-month prison term, Brown was sentenced to three years supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cowhig prosecuted the case.

If you have information about illegal firearms activity, you are urged to submit a tip to ATF by calling the hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867) or through the ReportIt mobile app.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.