Dontray Mills

[EssOne]

Recently Dontray Mills was charged with 55 counts of purchasing guns with phony Identification and reselling them. According to all the internet resources I can find, he somehow entered into a plea deal with Federal prosecutors whereby he would plead guilty to one charge only and receive nothing more than one year of probation, which was hunky dory with the Federal judge who (mis)handled the case. The total penalties for the charges he got flushed were (10 years per charge) 550 years and 14 million dollars in fines.  (Some accounts say he resold these guns to felons and others prohibited from owning guns, but I can't verify that factually. I wouldn't fall over dead to find out it's true, I just can't document it.)

 

OK my liberal friends, go ahead and ask me why I won't support new gun legislation as being a serious effort to deter crime. I double-dog-dare you.

 

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/09/robert-farago/why-are-gun-control-advocates-up-in-arms-about-illegal-gun-dealers-probation/

Edited September 5, 2015 by EssOne

[hipower]

Ran into this on FB last night. Totally Disgusting.

 

But fits right in with the Big O's policies of pardons and light sentencing.

[btq96r]

The judge that handled the case and issued the sentence seems to be a bit out there.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/milwaukee-man-to-be-sentenced-on-gun-fraud-charge-b99560011z1-322283481.html

[EssOne]

The judge that handled the case and issued the sentence seems to be a bit out there.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/milwaukee-man-to-be-sentenced-on-gun-fraud-charge-b99560011z1-322283481.html

 

Yeah, he's a real piece of work all right.

[TNWNGR]

Yeah, really makes you wonder doesn't it? I've noticed that a number of judges really go off the rails once they've been on the bench a while. I've also noticed that existing gun trafficing and such like laws are generally pled down, but then so are most drug trafficing charges.

[EssOne]

Yeah, I agree, but this case was pled down darn near to the "case dismissed" level. Crap, these were felonies fer Pete's sake, not misdemeanors - and Federal felonies at that. 

Edited September 5, 2015 by EssOne

[A.J. Holst]

Don't pass laws you are unwilling and/or unable to enforce.

[Oh Shoot]

Good case to bring up every time someone says "we need more firearm laws!"

 

- OS

Edited September 7, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[nightrunner]

There should be no such thing as plea deals. You get caught doing the crime, you do the sentence and/or fines associated with such crime, no way out.

[TMF]

Why does it seem like career criminals always get these incredible plea deals? 

[peejman]

Makes you wonder who he sold the guns to....? Edited September 7, 2015 by peejman

[EssOne]

Makes you wonder who he sold the guns to....?

 

Well peej, I sincerely doubt that he logged the guns in on his ATF gun log and had the buyers show him valid ID and fill out a Form 4473, so I'd say he sold them to folks who use ID's as phony as the one he bought the guns with. But then I'm just a pessimist at heart.. :rofl:

Edited September 7, 2015 by EssOne

[TMF]

Makes you wonder who he sold the guns to....?

I would assume he sold to agents or CIs. It wouldn't be easy to log sales to criminals he sold to unless they were used in crimes.


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[peejman]

True, but mostly I was wearing my conspiracy hat and thinking that he got such a dramatically reduced sentence because perhaps some folks were involved who might not like it to be known that they were.

[BigK]

I wonder what would have happened if Dontray Mills was know to be an out-spoken 2nd amendment supporter: a southern while male with a rebel flag; referred to by his neighbors as a "militia-type" or "prepper?; or NRA Life member.

I wonder if someone like that forgot to dot an "i" or cross a "t" on a federal document; ran across a shotgun on sale that his buddy has been looking for and picked it up for him; or maybe even got caught shouldering a Sig arm brace.

i have a strong opinion on what the judge would do in that case?

[A.J. Holst]

I wonder what would have happened if Dontray Mills was know to be an out-spoken 2nd amendment supporter: a southern while male with a rebel flag; referred to by his neighbors as a "militia-type" or "prepper?; or NRA Life member.
I wonder if someone like that forgot to dot an "i" or cross a "t" on a federal document; ran across a shotgun on sale that his buddy has been looking for and picked it up for him; or maybe even got caught shouldering a Sig arm brace.
i have a strong opinion on what the judge would do in that case?

I would add, what if a homeowner with equity, a few bucks in the bank and other attachable assets?

[TMF]

True, but mostly I was wearing my conspiracy hat and thinking that he got such a dramatically reduced sentence because perhaps some folks were involved who might not like it to be known that they were.

I was thinking it may have been reduced due to threats by the defense attorney of using an entrapment defense.


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[Oh Shoot]

I was thinking it may have been reduced due to threats by the defense attorney of using an entrapment defense.

 

Doubt that. "Entrapment" works just fine for convictions on every level anymore -- from simple sting of a cop-john propositioning a hooker to FBI agents egging on a wannabe terrorist with fake bomb materials.

 

- OS

Edited September 8, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[TMF]

Doubt that. "Entrapment" works just fine for convictions on every level anymore -- from simple sting of a cop-john propositioning a hooker to FBI agents egging on a wannabe terrorist with fake bomb materials.

- OS

What's your definition of "works" though? The FBI manufactured terrorists have all pled out from what I understand. With only 5% of cases going to trial, I don't believe the entrapment defense is utilized that often for anything other than negotiating a plea.


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[Oh Shoot]

What's your definition of "works" though? The FBI manufactured terrorists have all pled out from what I understand. With only 5% of cases going to trial, I don't believe the entrapment defense is utilized that often for anything other than negotiating a plea.

 

No idea of percentages. The would be Portland Courthouse bomber guy got 30 years. Maybe he pled down to that. :)

 

- OS

Edited September 8, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[TMF]

No idea of percentages. The would be Portland Courthouse bomber guy got 30 years. Maybe he pled down to that. :)

- OS

Ha, no he certainly did it. That was a case where I guess they weren't offering plea deals. But we know the vast majority of cases get pled out, and when the plea deal is sweet it is likely because the prosecution isn't sure they can get a conviction. Most likely scenario is he got the plea deal because his defense lawyer had a good argument had it gone to trial, and that argument was likely entrapment. Johns get rolled up all the time for solicitation, but I've never heard one of those going to trial.


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[Oh Shoot]

Ha, no he certainly did it. That was a case where I guess they weren't offering plea deals. But we know the vast majority of cases get pled out, and when the plea deal is sweet it is likely because the prosecution isn't sure they can get a conviction. Most likely scenario is he got the plea deal because his defense lawyer had a good argument had it gone to trial, and that argument was likely entrapment. Johns get rolled up all the time for solicitation, but I've never heard one of those going to trial.


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You know the dope on the Portland guy, right? FBI supplied him with the "bomb". Agent was even sitting in van with him when he tried to explode it. Jury trial. Judge had discretion of life sentence, decided on 30 years for whatever reasons.

 

- OS

Edited September 8, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[TMF]

You know the dope on the Portland guy, right? FBI supplied him with the "bomb". Agent was even sitting in van with him when he tried to explode it.

- OS

Yeah, I can't believe they got a conviction, but the Feds were throwing everything at that one to prove they stopped a terrorist attack.


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[EssOne]

The thing about the Dontray Mills reports that really sticks in my craw is the comment in all of the reports that:  "As a result of the conviction, Mills will never again be able to buy firearms legally." .............AGAIN??? He wasn't buying them legally in the first place.  Wow, I bet that one really put a hitch in his criminal gittalong.

 

 

[Oh Shoot]

The thing about the Dontray Mills reports that really sticks in my craw is the comment in all of the reports that:  "As a result of the conviction, Mills will never again be able to buy firearms legally." .............AGAIN??? He wasn't buying them legally in the first place.  Wow, I bet that one really put a hitch in his criminal gittalong.

 

Well, seems he was buying them from FFLs for the most part though, and that the only thing "wrong" was that his home address was outdated? I mean, technically that's a violation for "lying" on the 4473, but it's not like he was prohibited from buying them, nor getting them through illegal channels per se?

 

edit: looking further, still can't tell if he had a totally forged DL, or just wrong address on it. He did have a number of arrests in the past, but no felony or domestic violence convictions, BUT at least one place claims he was declared mentally incompetent at one point, in a court.

 

- OS

Edited September 8, 2015 by Oh Shoot