Chattanooga: Verdict in gun sales trial

A federal jury this morning found one of two brothers guilty on one count of selling firearms to a convicted felon.

Carl Monroe, 68, said after the hearing that he and his brother Richard Monroe, 49, hadn't done anything wrong and that he wasn't guilty.

Richard Monroe declined to comment.

Prosecutors charged the Athens, Tenn., brothers with selling firearms without a license. The jury acquitted Richard Monroe on the four counts against him and found Carl not guilty on his remaining seven counts.

Carl faces sentencing on April 25 along with Jack Wardlaw of Columbia, Tenn.

Wardlaw and his son-in-law, Kevin Dawson, were also indicted in the gun sales case. Both men have pleaded guilty. Dawson is scheduled for sentencing on March 21.

ATF agents investigated the pair from late 2010 until mid-2012, using undercover buyers and a convicted felon as an informant.

Each brother took the stand during the trial. They said they sold guns as collectors and were not trying to run an illegal gun business.

But in audio recordings by agents, Carl told the convicted felon he "didn't want to hear" about his criminal history before selling him a .45 caliber handgun.

In his testimony, Carl said he was selling the gun to the man's girlfriend, who paid cash to him at the time of the sale.

For more see tomorrow's Times Free Press.

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