LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection watch commander in the Los Angeles area was ordered to serve 31 months in prison for operating an illegal gun-selling business and other crimes, federal prosecutors said.
Wei Xu, 58, of Santa Fe Springs was sentenced by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner on Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Xu, who had been a CBP watch commander at the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports complex, pleaded guilty in July to unlawfully engaging in the business of dealing in firearms, unlawfully possessing unregistered firearms, making materially false statements to a federal agency and tax evasion.
Prosecutors said Xu sold firearms to an undercover agent in 2018 and a search of his residence in 2019 found more than 250 firearms, including 41 machine guns.
At the time of his plea, Xu admitted he sold at least 99 firearms without a federal license over 20 years.
Prosecutors said he used his status as a law enforcement officer to purchase and then transfer, “off-roster” handguns that cannot be sold to the general public by a federal firearms license dealer.
Xu additionally admitted making false statements to obtain secret-level security clearance. Prosecutors said he had business associates in China but denied foreign interests on his security clearance questionnaires.
