This article was written by Jacob Scholl of the Idaho Statesman.
Federal prosecutors in North Carolina have accused three Boise residents of conspiring to illegally manufacture guns and gun parts before shipping the firearms to North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Earlier this month, 21-year-old Liam Collins and 35-year-old Paul Kryscuk were each indicted on three felonies: conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate; interstate transportation of firearms without a license; and interstate transportation of a firearm not registered as required.
Prosecutors filed a complaint against a third man, 25-year-old Jordan Duncan, who is facing one charge alleging that he conspired with Collins and Kryscuk, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. The three were arrested on Oct. 20.
All three men are residents of Boise. Prosecutors say Collins and Duncan are former Marines who were previously assigned to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Authorities allege that Collins and Kryscuk manufactured and sold “hard to obtain firearms and firearm parts” while trying to hide the purchases they made from authorities.
Collins sent $1,500 to Kryscuk to buy a 9-mm handgun and suppressor from Kryscuk, and in return, Kryscuk bought “items from vendors to manufacture the firearms and suppressors,” according to the release.
Suppressors are gun attachments meant to muffle the sound of the gun when it’s fired. They are highly regulated. Buying a suppressor legally requires a lengthy screening process that can take more than a year.
Court filings allege that Kryscuk used an alias to mail the handgun and suppressor from Idaho to North Carolina in June.
He and Collins are accused of sending an unregistered, modified rifle from Idaho to Pennsylvania in September.
If convicted, Collins and Kryscuk face a maximum of up to 20 years in prison, and Duncan up to five years.
Duncan and Kryscuk were scheduled to appear in a Boise federal courtroom Tuesday for detention hearings. The three will be transferred to North Carolina for further court proceedings.
Numerous local and federal officials assisted in the investigation, including the FBI, Homeland Security and the Boise Police Department, the news release said.
