Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A New Hampshire company was sentenced for violating the National Firearms Act (NFA) by distributing interoperable components for firearm silencers.
KBC Capital, LLC d/b/a “Lethal Eye” was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to three years’ probation and ordered to pay a $260,000 fine. In September 2024, KBC pleaded guilty to 26 counts of transferring a firearm in violation of the NFA.
“Silencers allow for the proliferation in criminal activity by reducing the sound of gunfire and affecting the ability to identify the location and source of a shot. By knowingly misbranding these devices, KBC flooded our streets with dangerous devices and impeded law enforcement,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners take all gun crimes seriously and will continue to work together to hold those accountable who violate our gun laws.”
“ATF takes violations of the National Firearm Acts very seriously, and suppressors in the wrong hands possesses significant threats to public safety. Today’s sentence, reinforces ATF’s commitment to arresting and prosecuting individuals who violate the NFA statutes,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division
“Each and every illicit silencer has potential for violent use and today’s sentence accounts for each transfer of a silencer made by KBC confirmed by this investigation. Companies in the firearms trade have a duty to follow regulations to ensure a safe, lawful firearms industry. This case brings together several of our law enforcement partners and underlines our commitment of holding sellers accountable when they try to subvert the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
“Postal inspectors are committed to ensuring the U.S. Postal Service is not a mechanism to distribute illicit firearms or firearm components,” stated Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. “The sentence handed down in this case serves as a reminder that postal inspectors, along with our law enforcement partners, remain steadfast in our resolve to protect our communities from dangerous weapons.”
“This investigation is an example of DEA’s dedication to working with our local, state and federal partners in identifying, targeting and investigating those who are involved in selling dangerous devices,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop illegal activities so our communities can be safe places to be.”
KBC operated a website using the trade name “Lethal Eye,” selling a variety of firearms accessories. Despite marketing one of these products as a “muzzle break,” the product actually served as a principal part of a firearm silencer. This part was interoperable with other KBC products that, together, along with other generally available consumer products, could be combined to generate a firearm silencer. According to court documents, while doing business as “Lethal Eye,” KBC sent 26 illegal suppressor parts to Massachusetts residents. On Aug. 18, 2023, a search of Lethal Eye’s principal place of business resulted in the recovery of 327 items classified as illegal firearm silencers. At no time, was KBC an FFL and at no time did KBC pay the appropriate tax to manufacture a single silencer.
The NFA imposes taxes on the making and transfer of NFA Firearms, as well as a special occupational tax on Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing and dealing in NFA firearms. Only certain classes of FFLs may lawfully manufacture NFA weapons. The NFA requires registration of all NFA firearms with the Attorney General in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The purpose of the NFA is to regulate transactions which are deemed to be more dangerous than those not regulated by the NFA due to their proliferation in criminal activity at the time the NFA was enacted.
United States Attorney Levy; ATF SAC Ferguson; HSI SAC Krol; USPIS INC Larco-Ward; and DEA Acting SAC Belleau made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Nashua (N.H.) and Hollis, (Mass.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.