Columbus man who advertised machine guns, ghost guns pleads guilty to trafficking firearms
A Columbus resident who advertised the sale of fully automatic weapons on social media — including ghost guns and machine guns —has pleaded guilty to trafficking firearms.
Matthew Azor, 19, made his plea Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Clay Land at the federal courthouse in Columbus, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced.
Azor faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, followed by at least three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. His sentence hasn’t been determined.
“Matthew Azor illegally sold machine guns and ghost guns on social media, making the deadliest of weapons readily available to dangerous individuals,” U.S. Attorney Peter Leary said in the news release posted on his office’s website. “Our office and law enforcement partners continue to prioritize prosecutions against those responsible for gun violence in Columbus and across the Middle District of Georgia.”
Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis said in the news release, “Illegal firearms, especially machine guns and ghost guns, are a direct threat to public safety. We remain committed to working alongside our federal partners to remove these dangerous weapons from the streets and hold those responsible accountable.”
This case was investigated by CPD’s Gang Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams prosecuted the case.
According to the news release, on Jan. 18, investigators with CPD’s Gang Unit contacted Azor, who was advertising Glock switches and firearms equipped with machine gun conversion devices for sale on social media.
On Jan. 26, an undercover ATF agent contacted Azor and arranged for the purchase of machine guns. Azor confirmed with the agent that he had firearms which functioned as machine guns, specifically an AR pistol and a Glock, the news release says.
The agent met Azor in Columbus and paid $1,100 for:
- A Glock model 17 9x19mm caliber firearm with an attached switch to convert the semi-automatic pistol to a rapid-fire machine gun
- A privately made AR-styled pistol, also known as a ghost gun
- Three rounds of assorted 9-mm ammunition.
ATF agents examined the firearms and determined the Glock model 17 could fire fully automatic and the ghost gun was semi-automatic, according to the news release.
A few weeks later, the agent arranged for the purchase of a fully automatic firearm and a Glock machine gun conversion device that Azor claimed he had for sale, the news release says.
On Feb. 29, the agent met Azor and purchased, according to the news release:
- A PA-15 AR-pistol with a loaded magazine
- A purported Glock machine gun conversion device.
ATF agents later examined those firearms and determined both were not machine guns, the news release says.
“These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” the news release says.
In 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles:
- Fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities
- Supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities
- Measuring the results.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 10:56 AM.
