Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – Frank William Robertson Perry, age 39, of Dundalk, Maryland, pleaded guilty on March 9, 2021, to illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.  Perry admitted that he is an adherent of the Boogaloo Movement.  “Boogaloo” is a term referencing a violent uprising or impending civil war and is sometimes used by militia extremists and others.  Militia extremists have adopted it to reference an impending politically-motivated civil war or uprising against the government following perceived incursions on Constitutional rights—including the Second Amendment—or other perceived government overreach.  The Boogaloo is not a single cohesive group, but rather a loose concept arising from internet platforms which has become a rallying point for some extremists.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to his plea agreement, Perry was previously convicted for second degree burglary on November 19, 2012 in Baltimore County Circuit Court.  As a result of that conviction, Perry is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

As detailed in his plea agreement, in April 2020 Perry caused his girlfriend to purchase the lower receiver of an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 rifle, from a firearms dealer in Eastern Baltimore County for his own use.  The lower receiver of a firearm, while not a completed and functioning weapon, is legally defined as a firearm.  Purchasers are required to go through a background check and complete an ATF form truthfully and under penalty of perjury, which the seller of the firearm is required to maintain. The form, as completed, indicated that Perry’s girlfriend was the purchaser of the AM-15 lower receiver and that the receiver was “multi-cal,” denoting a firearm that could be assembled into a variety of calibers.  The AM-15 lower receiver, once assembled, is nearly identical to the AR-15 assault rifle.

Perry admitted that from March 31, 2020 to September 6, 2020, he purchased a number of firearm-related items online, including a gun cleaning mat with a diagram of the parts of an AR-15 style rifle; grease for lubricating firearms; a sling and sling assembly for a rifle; a weapon mounted light commonly found on AR-15 style weapons; a weapons mounted sight; and a device to calibrate a weapons sight.  Perry caused the items to be delivered to his girlfriend’s residence in her name and used the items to build an operational AM-15 weapon. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, on October 7, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perry’s residence in Dundalk, Maryland and seized an Anderson Manufacturing rifle model AM-15; a black tactical vest containing two ballistic plates; three loaded rifle magazines; eight rounds of .223 caliber ammunition and other firearm related accessories.  During an interview with law enforcement, Perry insisted that the rifle was purchased and owned by his girlfriend for self-defense purposes.  He also claimed to have built the rifle and conceded that the FBI would find his fingerprints on the weapon.  Perry also admitted he would have used the weapon himself for self-defense if the situation required it. 

Perry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not yet scheduled sentencing.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the ATF, for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the case.

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