Evergreen Reporter

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has announced that two co-owners of Modern Arms & Optics LLC, a federal firearms licensee, have pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States. Campbell Slayden, 26, of Denver, entered his plea on July 25, 2024, admitting to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. Anthony Gallegos, also 26 and from Denver, pled guilty on September 23, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The charges are related to their activities while operating Modern Arms & Optics between 2019 and 2023. The defendants engaged in deceptive practices intended to mislead and conceal information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). These actions included hiding unlawful firearms manufacturing practices in federally required records and transferring firearms through "straw purchasing" to individuals not legally permitted to own them.

“It is crucial for gun shop owners and dealers to follow the laws that help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep our communities safe,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who breaks or evades those laws.”

Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over both hearings. The ATF conducted the investigation with Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handling the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by bringing together various levels of law enforcement and community organizations. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy under PSN focusing on fostering trust in communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.

Case Numbers:

1:24-cr-0034-GPG (Slayden)

1:24-cr-00224-GPG (Gallegos)