Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

OCALA, Fla. — U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kingsley Wilson, 35, of Kissimmee, has pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license, 14 counts of making a materially false statement to a federally licensed firearms (FFL) dealer and 14 counts of causing an FFL to maintain false information in its official records. Wilson faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for dealing in firearms without a license; 10 years for each count of making a materially false statement to an FFL; and five years for each count of causing an FFL to maintain false information in its official records.

According to the plea agreement and evidence presented in court, between January 2022 and July 2023, Wilson purchased 92 firearms from multiple gun dealers in the Middle District of Florida. While purchasing these firearms, Wilson falsely certified on ATF Form 4473s, Firearm Transaction Records, that he was the “actual transferee/buyer” of the firearms. In actuality, Wilson was purchasing these firearms for other individuals in exchange for monetary payments. Wilson’s cellular telephone revealed numerous conversations between Wilson and other individuals about the illegal purchases and transfer of these firearms. Ten of the firearms purchased by Wilson have been recovered by law enforcement at crime scenes (including homicides) in the Bahamas and Canada.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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. On May 26, 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 and measuring the results.

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