Car wash dope dealer buffs his way to over 4 years on stolen gun charges

An Ohio felon who ran a car wash as a cover for his marijuana business and had a penchant for collecting stolen guns was sentenced last week.

Ricky Lasley, 37, of Dayton, pleaded guilty last December to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice handed down a sentence of 52 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Possible fines were waived due to “inability to satisfy,” though the court did order the property on him when seized– an SIA .357 revolver with five live rounds and $708 in cash– forfeit.

According to court documents, Lasley was believed to be selling marijuana from a car wash on West Third Street in Dayton by the Dayton Police Department’s Community Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence (CIRGV) unit in July 2015. After a confidential informant bought from Lasley on three occasions, authorities obtained a warrant for his business and residence.

The warrant, executed on September 15, 2015, produced a half-pound of marijuana and four handguns. One, a SCCY 9mm was found to be stolen from the Miami Valley Armory gun shop; while two Sig Sauers, a P220 .45ACP and a P229 9mm, were found to be stolen from the Vandalia Range and Armory gun shop.

On interview with DPD, Lasley admitted he used the car wash as a front to sell dope and bought the SCCY off the street while the two Sigs were brought to him for sale at his business, though he later clammed up when talking to agents the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

As Lasley was a felon, having served time for drug charges in 1999 and 2004, and the stolen guns were manufactured outside of Ohio and thus subject to interstate commerce regulations, he caught federal weapons charges for which he was sentenced last week.

“This case accounts for three of the firearms previously stolen from area gun shops, and should send the message that we will continue to go after burglars and those illegally purchasing firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart in a statement.

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