Pottstown Man Illegally Resold Firearms For Years: DA

Pottstown PA

15 December, 2021

10:03 PM

Description

POTTSTOWN, PA — A Pottstown man has been arrested after buying numerous weapons over a period of six years and then illegally reselling them to individuals unable to legally own firearms, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said. Johnny Fowler, 28, faces numerous felony charges in connection with the incidents, which authorities said spanned from 2014 to 2019. An investigation began on Aug. 11 after an illegal firearm was seized during a routine traffic stop of a former felon in Philadelphia. Authorities traced the firearm to Fowler, and investigators found that Fowler had bought 16 weapons and resold them over the six year period. Such "straw purchases" are done when someone with a clean background like Fowler buys weapons for those who cannot legally own them, like minors, felons, and those with mental illness. One of the weapons Fowler sold was recovered from a teenager in 2018. Another was in the possession of the victim of a shooting at a Nov. 15, 2019 Pleasantville, New Jersey football game, the DA's Office said. The adult victim did not fire that weapon during the incident, but he was shot in the chest, and another child was shot and killed, police said. "This defendant was arming criminals, plain and simple," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "The recovery by law enforcement of three of the 16 straw purchased firearms show how far these illegal guns can travel and how they show up at crime scenes." Steele said the case was emblematic of a larger need for better tracking mechanisms on illegal firearms. Fowler faces unlawful transfer of a firearm, corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, and numerous related counts. He was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Bail was reduced from $1 million to $500,000, but he failed to post. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 23.