A federal judge sentenced a 23-year-old Marine to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to illegally selling 22 “ghost guns” to undercover agents while serving on active duty at Camp Pendleton, California.
Christian Ferrari, of El Cajon, California, was sentenced Monday to 37 months on four counts of dealing firearms without a license, according to court documents.
Between March 13 and May 9, 2023, prosecutors say Ferrari sold 22 guns to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives undercover agents for more than $23,000 in four separate transactions, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
He faced a maximum penalty of five years and a $250,000 fine if convicted at trial, according to the release.
Ferrari enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 2020 as a rifleman, according to information provided by Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He reached the rank of lance corporal in July 2021.
Ferrari was last assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton. He deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from August 2021 to March 2022, according to Marine officials.
His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, among others, according to Marine officials. He was discharged in April 2024. The type of discharge was not disclosed by Marine officials.
Multiple Marine supervisors and colleagues provided statements to the court in support of Ferrari at his sentencing. As part of his plea deal his attorney sought a two-year sentence, according to court documents.
In 2023, during one of the transactions, agents told Ferrari that the guns were going to be taken to Mexico, to which he responded, “alright, perfect,” according to court documents.
The term “ghost guns” is used by law enforcement to refer to privately made firearms, according to the release. Individuals buy parts and then use specialized tools to build the parts into a complete firearm.
Because they are not made by a licensed firearms manufacturer, they do not have serial numbers, which makes them nearly untraceable, according to the release.
“By design, ghost guns are made to avoid regulation and slip past law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath.
That often allows people prohibited from owning firearms — such as felons, people with domestic abuse charges or convictions or individuals with certain mental health conditions — to bypass background checks and illegally obtain weapons, said Christopher Bombardiere, ATF Special Agent in Charge of Los Angeles Field Division.
“These firearms end up in the hands of criminals and are used in violent crimes, including homicides, robberies and gang-related activities,” Bombardiere said.
After Ferrari’s arrest in May 2023 following his final sale to undercover agents, investigators learned that Ferrari had been building the firearms at a family member’s residence in Lakeside, California, about 45 miles away from Camp Pendleton.
Further analysis of Ferrari’s phone records “revealed other conversations related to manufacturing and selling firearms and parts,” including AR-15 style rifles, suppressors for firearms and “full auto sears,” which allow users to convert semi-automatic weapons to fully automatic weapons, according to the release.
In addition to the lack of serial numbers, the guns Ferrari built had barrel lengths of 9.25 inches and overall lengths of 28 inches, according to court documents. Those sizes make weapons more concealable than conventional standard or long-barrel rifles.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
