A former campus police dispatcher for the Cape Cod Community College Police Department claimed to be a police officer with the authority to arrest and procure Glock firearms.
This week, Justin F. Watson, 36, of Mashpee was sentenced for purchasing two guns which can only be legally bought by law enforcement officers, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Rachel S. Rollins.
Watson was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to time served (one day in prison), one year of supervised release, with the first four months to be served in home confinement, and 50 hours of community service. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of six months in prison.
Watson pleaded guilty on April 29 to one count of making false statements to purchase firearms and one count of making false statements in a record.
“Gun laws exist for a reason – to protect lives and reduce violence. Anyone who lies and evades to avoid gun safety laws will be prosecuted,” said Rollins. “Lawmakers and law enforcement have put clear limits on who can purchase powerful Glock weapons. These laws are intended to keep dangerous weapons in the hands of fully trained police officers, not circulating on the street.”
Watson spent nearly a year as a police dispatcher from 2018 to 2019 at the community college on Cape Cod and did not have the authority to carry a weapon nor make arrests on campus, according to Rollins.
In August of 2018, he ordered a Glock pistol to be delivered to a firearms dealer on Cape Cod. He provided his Cape Cod Community College identification card, which listed him as “Campus Police” and “Faculty/Staff” to the manager before completing an official public safety form where he identified himself as a security officer.
A few months later, Watson attempted to purchase another Glock at another firearms dealer where he was informed only law enforcement officers with the power to make arrests could buy the gun. According to Rollins, Watson falsely claimed to be a police officer with such power, and brought his girlfriend to the dealer to pose as his boss. She falsely verified Watson’s claims to the dealer and he bought the gun.
He later admitted giving the Glock he had purchased to his girlfriend to law enforcement, an illegal offense according to Rollins’ office.
“Straw purchasing a firearm is a federal crime with serious consequences,” said James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division. “ATF is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to investigate and prosecute the “straw purchasers” in conjunction with the individuals who receive these firearms.”
Straw purchases interfere with firearm regulation and record-keeping, and federal law makes it a crime to knowingly make false statements to a firearms dealer in connection with the lawfulness of the sale, according to the US Attorney Rollins’ office.
The Cape Cod Community College Campus Police, Barnstable Police Department and Mashpee Police Department provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugenia M. Carris, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption Unit, and Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
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