LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A hookah lounge owner is expected to make his initial court appearance today in downtown Los Angeles on a federal criminal charge alleging he illegally sold firearms -- including several “ghost guns'' - - out of his business.
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.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint last week, 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 he 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 personnel seized more than a dozen firearms from his downtown business, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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