HK Parts Owner Gets 4 Years for Illegal Gun Sales, Tax Evasion

Authors Industry News Jordan Michaels
HK Parts Owner Gets 4 Years for Illegal Gun Sales, Tax Evasion

Adam Webber, the owner of HK Parts, will serve four years in prison.  He sold firearms without a license and filed fradulent tax returns.

The owner of a Utah-based online gun parts store has been sentenced to four years in prison for selling guns without a license and filing fraudulent tax returns.

Adam Webber claimed to be a firearms enthusiast selling gun parts from his basement under the brand HK Parts. In reality, according to a sentencing memo written by the prosecution, Webber used HK Parts to sell guns without a license and earn millions of dollars he failed to disclose in his tax forms.

“At a jury trial in September 2016, the United States proved that the Defendant’s outward manifestation as an American entrepreneur selling gun parts from his basement home to provide for his family was merely a guise,” the memo begins.

“The truth proven at trial is that the Defendant is a sophisticated illegal firearms dealer, who cleverly implemented a scheme to conceal his illicit activities and the massive income he generated from injecting illegal firearm sales into his gun parts online business.”

Following a botched machine gun sale, Webber agreed in June 2007 to never obtain a federal firearms license. Or engage in the business of selling firearms. He nonetheless continued to sell firearms through his company. Raking in millions of dollars in profits and sales from 2007 to 2010.

Webber’s willingness to sell firearms in person—sometimes in commercial parking lots—allowed undercover ATF agents to catch Webber selling firearms illegally on two separate occasions.

While Webber admitted to selling over 1,500 firearms without a license, his attorneys argued that their client misreported his income out of ignorance of his business’s success. But prosecutors noted that Webber possessed all the necessary information in his own collection of documents:

“The Internal Revenue Service did not need to generate any documents to reach a gross receipts figure for each of the years, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The numbers were in the Defendant’s own documents. The numbers were at his fingertips.”

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Prosecutors asked the court to sentence Webber to 37 month plus supervised release for tax fraud. Webber’s attorneys responded by noting their client’s willingness to plead guilty to the firearms charges. And to pay back his taxes with penalties and interest totaling $1.8 million. They also pointed out his good reputation among his friends and family.  They submitted 45 letters that describe Webber as a respected member of the community.

“Mr. Webber, who is 40 years of age, has lived a good, productive life and has enriched the lives of others in his family, church, and community,” the response reads. “Mr. Webber is a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and uncle. He has been successfully married for over 15 years and has six children.”

Despite these considerations, the court sided with the prosecution. It sentenced Webber to 48 months in prison and fined him $100,000.

U.S. District Judge Dee Benson remained unmoved by Webber’s crestfallen apology at the sentencing.

“I think deceit is one of his most apparent characteristics. I’m not even sure about the speech he gave me today.”

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  • David April 6, 2018, 6:46 am

    tax evasion really . Amazon made 6 billion last year and paid 0 dollars in federal taxes . We’re these tax evasion law suit ? Oh wait he’s a lib tard

  • Ricky Price December 15, 2017, 9:43 am

    Do what is right. That it.And they want be any problem.Don’t make it hard on the good guys.

  • Robert C December 15, 2017, 5:47 am

    I bought parts from him until he tried to rip me off. Sent me an item that was misrepresented on his web site as to type of gun it fit. Would not take a return for refund. Was very rude about his policy. Had my bank handle it. Got my refund and never did business with him since.

  • bbbs53 December 15, 2017, 4:12 am

    I was in the business for years and never made anywhere near that kind of money. No one I know ever did either. I don’t trust the ATF or the IRS as far as I can throw them. If he was selling illegal firearms without a license, why the short sentence? Something doesn’t add up big time.

    • JS December 15, 2017, 7:24 am

      I have to agree with you. How did he possibly make that kind of money in the firearms business to owe 1.8 million just in taxes? If he was that good of a salesman why waste your time with firearms. He could have made millions more selling goods or services to corporations. Forget retail. There must be more to this story. Money laundering?

  • Blue Dog December 13, 2017, 7:44 pm

    They got this guy on tax evasion? Like Al Capone? It feels like they wanted to nail him for something else (operating a firearms business without a proper FFL license) but couldn’t build up a case so they found some other excuse to get him for. Don’t get me wrong, from what I have seen here it looks like this guy was up to some pretty clearly illegal activity and should be brought to account and this sort of grey-market shenanigans are one of many examples why we should have universal background checks and gun registration, but it seems like tax evasion is a cop-out on the part of the prosecution.
    It is guys like this that ruin it for casual hobbyists wanting to occasionally trade amongst each other. Guys like this are ruining gun shows and the gun hobby all across the country. Guys like this are examples of why we need to overhaul existing gun legislation.

    • Rick December 15, 2017, 6:29 am

      Tax evasion ? I’m not saying that it is right for anyone to break the law. It just seems to me that we have the best legal system that is bought and paid for by those that can afford it. The only people the government goes after are the little guys. We hear everyday of some Corporation or Politician who owes millions of dollars in back taxes to the government. Many of whom have political connections and never get prosecuted. I certainly don’t want people selling illegal firearms to people who should not have them. But sometimes I think the government only goes after the easy targets. the devil is in the details.

      • Infidel762x51 December 15, 2017, 8:49 am

        I don’t even know if they go after the easy ones. I took a report of a stolen pistol from someone I knew to be a convicted drug dealer. When I got back to the house I ran a rap sheet that showed multiple felony convictions. I went to the shop where he bought the gun (before instant check) and made copies of the sales records and the perjured 4473. I went back to the house and called ATF, they stated, you have everything you need prosecute it locally. The idea of contacting the ATF was to get a federal prosecution where he would get a real sentence and not walk after serving 1/2 the minimum. It would have been a good case for a new agent to get his feet wet but they were not interested.

    • Dr Motown December 15, 2017, 6:47 am

      I really don’t care what charges they got to stick as long as the guy is off the streets. Yes, he ruins it for legal gun owners and hobbyists, but you lost me on the “universal background checks and gun registration.” Neither of those would prevent parking lot sales, straw purchases, etc.

    • M A G II December 15, 2017, 1:16 pm

      Please, Moby… Go some where else. Really!!! I mean, come on and do all of us a favour and just leave. Go back to your trust fund fantasy land. You don’t contribute anything the to conversation! Please move to Detroit, Chicago or Atlanta where normal working class people live and work. Then “advise them how evil guns and gun owners are and how great the government is at protecting them.” And watch your lilly white trust butt get beat like a drum!

      No More Libtards, Please!
      Go to star bucks and cry over your over priced coffee…..

    • Don Tros December 15, 2017, 11:22 pm

      Universal background checks and gun registration has in every other country and will always lead to gun confiscation. To believe otherwise is foolish. I please don’t tell me like someone recently did, that the Constitution will prevent that! Really? A piece of paper that hardly anyone believes is relevant is going to prevent what? It may prevent gullible people from selling the truth!

  • Mark December 12, 2017, 9:08 pm

    How many of you actually believe anything our gov’t, let alone the IRS, ATF says? If I were on that jury, it would be Not Guilty just on principle, no matter how weak his defense was.

    • alan richter December 15, 2017, 6:14 am

      how’s that tin foil hat of yours holding up? glad you weren’t on that jury!

      • Don Tros December 15, 2017, 11:24 pm

        Either we believe the official line or we wear a tin foil hat? Those who believe the official line don’t need a hat, they need a working brain.

    • Rick December 15, 2017, 7:34 am

      Mark, I hear you. How is a firearm “illegal”? Illegally possessed perhaps. The whole FFL is a bit hinky to me.

      • woody December 15, 2017, 3:59 pm

        “illegally possessed” , where does it say that in the constitution? “The right of the PEOPLE” not some people, not just the people we say, not just the people that follow blindly like sheep. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” it does not exclude anyone. These rights are bestowed upon us by the creator, not the Gov’t. the gov’t does not have the authority to take away what was bestowed upon us by the creator.
        “those who would give up liberty for safety deserve neither liberty or safety” Ben Franklin

  • Sepp W December 12, 2017, 6:09 pm

    Operating on the periphery of firearms laws unlicensed and engaged in business to make profit and big brother is going to eventually notice.

    • Don Tros December 15, 2017, 11:25 pm

      Yes, many find out that the govt hates competition.

  • Sepp W December 12, 2017, 5:36 pm

    Law is pretty clear on this. It was a matter of time.

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