Local Man Admits to Illegally Selling Firearms

HOUSTON - A 38-year-old Houston resident has pleaded guilty to unlawfully dealing firearms without a license, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Qusay Waleed Taha admitted to purchasing more than 100 firearms between July 11, 2018, and Aug. 19, 2019, in order to resell for profit. Taha also admitted he repeatedly bought firearms though licensed dealers and sold them to local individuals at gun shows.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. will impose sentencing Aug. 11. At that time, Taha faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Taha has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Schammel and Heather Winter are prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.