BAY CITY, MI — An Iosco County man and two out-of-state cohorts are facing federal charges for allegedly selling more than $1 million in illicit firearms silencers.
A grand jury on Jan. 19 handed down an indictment against 55-year-old Christopher J. Ridenour, of National City, charging him with conspiracy to deal or manufacture firearms without a license, aiding and abetting dealing firearms without a license, and two counts of possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
The grand jury indicted codefendants Nick Logan on the first two counts and Cullen Swanson on the second charge.
The indictment states that from March 2017 to Dec. 16, 2020, the three men conspired to manufacture and sell silencers, all without a federal firearms license between them. The men did end up dealing silencers to gun owners, the document states.
Logan hails from Illinois, while Swanson is an Oklahoma resident.
Ridenour engaged in the unlawful scheme as a business named Diversified Machine, located at 1928 Cowan Drive in National City. Swanson helped Ridenour by custom drilling silencer components to lower the decibel level and improve the point of impact accuracy for guns outfitted with the silencers, the indictments states. Swanson also tested the silencers, provided feedback, and posted reviews on YouTube.
To facilitate sales, Ridenour launched the website www.diversifiedmachine.com. Through the site, Ridenour and Logan offered various silencer kits and components for sale, to buyers inside and outside of Michigan.
The men referred to silencers as “solvent traps” on the website to avoid law enforcement detection, the document states. Logan also used an email account to respond to customers’ queries.
Ridenour would ship silencer kits to customers who made purchases on the website, the indictment states. Customers paid Ridenour via PayPal.
Between November 2017 and Dec. 20, 2020, Ridenour received more than $1.01 million from the online sale of silencer kits, the document alleges.
Included in the indictment were excerpts of text messages and emails between the defendants, discussing the manufacture of silencers, the business website, and sales.
The text exchanges show that in June 2019, Ridenour bought $14,626 in components from a supplier referred only as “A.M.” Two months later, Logan texted Ridenour that A.M.’s silencer manufacturing operation had been shut down by law enforcement.
“Yeah it’s making me nervous. [Expletive]in blood nervous,” Ridenour texted in reply. “[A.M.] told me that he was just raided and he would get back to me when he could. He sounded like he was still in shock.”
Logan then sent another text suggesting Ridenour take down diversifiedmachine.com and for him to “apply for your license ASAP, brother,” the indictment states.
In December 2020, Ridenour sent a text message to an undercover federal agent. The agent gave Ridenour a money order for $375, who in turn shipped via USPS a silencer kit with a Diversified Machine business card, the document alleges.
On Dec. 16, 2020, Ridenour possessed 17 silencers and thousands of components, the document states.
The illegal business’ website is no longer operating as such.
Ridenour had his initial court appearance on Jan. 24, appearing before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris at the federal courthouse in downtown Bay City. Morris released Ridenour on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
Ridenour’s next court date is pending.
Read more:
Sex offender pleads no contest to assaulting 2 Bay County girls more than a decade ago
Sex offender accused of assaulting 2 girls in Bay County
Michigan woman who shot neighbor’s cat with crossbow pleads guilty to felony animal cruelty
Ad Choices