Seattle Felon Indicted for Possession of a Dozen Weapons Including Ar-Style Assault Rifles

          A 66-year-old Seattle resident was indicted today by a grand jury for being a felon in possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  PARK QUAN was arrested July 29, 2019, after FBI agents investigating one of his roommates in connection with a data theft, served a search warrant on his home and discovered a cache of weapons.  QUAN has two federal convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms.  QUAN remains in federal custody and will be arraigned on the indictment on August 22, 2019.

                “Federal law enforcement makes it a priority to get weapons out of the hands of those who illegally possess them,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  “I commend the FBI agents who went into a potentially-dangerous situation and secured these weapons without any shots fired.  The U.S. Attorney’s office works every day with state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement to keep our communities safe.”

            According to records filed in the case, agents investigating the data theft were sweeping the residence for safety when they observed numerous firearms in a bedroom used by QUAN.  Agents applied for and got a second judicially-authorized search warrant and began collecting the firearms.  The cache of weapons included four semi-automatic handguns, eight rifles, six of them semi-automatic rifles including two AR-style assault rifles. 

            QUAN has a 1983 conviction in Washington for being a felon in possession of explosives and a 1991 conviction in Texas for possessing an unregistered machine gun.  QUAN also has a military court-martial conviction for soliciting the theft of military weapons. Due to those convictions, QUAN is prohibited from possessing firearms.

            Being a felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

            The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Masada and Andrew Friedman.