A pair of Union City brothers — one of whom is a felon — were sentenced to federal prison after a sting operation revealed they were trafficking guns and drugs, officials said.
Antonio Turrentine, 29, and Dominique Turrentine, 30, pleaded guilty to firearms charges, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in a news release. The brothers were arrested Feb. 27 after they sold numerous guns to an undercover informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pak said.
Antonio Turrentine, who Pak indicated was largely behind the gun trafficking operation, reportedly sold dozens of assault rifles, shotguns and semi-automatic pistols loaded with large-capacity magazines. According to Pak, the man was not supposed to have any guns at all.
“Antonio Turrentine was specifically prohibited from possessing firearms because he had been convicted of a drug trafficking offense in 2016,” he said.
Dominique Turrentine accompanied him and assisted in some of the gun deals, according to Pak. Several of the guns were stolen, and at least one had been used in a murder, Pak said.
“(Antonio) Turrentine knew which of the guns had been reported stolen, and he advised the informant to ‘ship’ those particular weapons out-of-state,” he said.
Between August 2019 and January 2020, the two men sold 32 guns to the informant. Occasionally, the brothers also sold marijuana and methamphetamine during the exchanges, Pak said.
Both men were carrying loaded semi-automatic pistols at the time of their arrests, Pak said. They also had a pound of marijuana hidden in a Girl Scouts cookie box.
Antonio Turrentine pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony. On July 29, a federal judge sentenced him to 10 years behind bars and three years of supervised release.
Dominique Turrentine pleaded guilty to unlicensed firearms dealing. On Thursday, he was sentenced to three years and six months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
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