LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A hookah lounge owner was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging that he illegally sold firearms -- including several “ghost guns'' -- out of his business in downtown Los Angeles.
Hovik Dagesian, 39, of Burbank, is charged with one federal count of possession of an unregistered firearm, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He is expected to make his initial appearance Monday in federal court in Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint Thursday, Dagesian illegally sold 10 firearms, including an AR-15-style short-barreled rifle with no serial number, on four occasions between Oct. 30 and Jan. 8.
Dagesian does not have a federal firearms license and does not have any firearms registered to him, according to the affidavit, which further alleges that Dagesian sold other AR-15-style ghost guns -- firearms that are made from component parts and do not have serial numbers -- as well as a semiautomatic shotgun, a Tec-DC9 pistol and a vintage ``Tommy'' gun.
Each of the illegal firearms sales allegedly occurred at Dagesian's place of business, DTLA Hookah Lounge. During the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement seized more than a dozen firearms from his business, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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