DELAWARE- A Smyrna man has been sentenced for possession of machine guns and unregistered silencers.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, David C. Weiss, says that Danny Aument, 48, was sentenced this week to 30 months in prison for one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun and one count of possession of an unregistered silencer, by U.S. District Judge Gregory B. Williams.
According to court documents and statements made in court, over the course of several years, while struggling with controlled substances, Aument amassed an arsenal of dangerous weapons. After a search at Aument’s home on August 24, 2022, law enforcement found numerous firearms, including ten machine guns and eight homemade silencers.
Prosecutors say Aument knew the firearms were either prohibited or highly regulated, but he continued to unlawfully obtain and/or manufacture machine guns and failed to register the silencers on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Judge Williams said the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and indicated that this sentence should serve to deter others from flouting laws regulating firearms.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “The laws regulating the possession of firearms are designed to protect the public. My office will continue to pursue charges against those who unlawfully possess highly dangerous weapons or fail to register those firearms.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith C. Ruggles prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.