Criminal trial starts for HK Parts owner

After two years of court motions, trial began Tuesday for an Internet gun parts dealer accused of selling firearms without a license and other federal violations.

The Justice Department indicted Adam Webber, of Salt Lake, in August 2014 for violating an agreement with the government about selling guns through his online retail shop HKParts.net.

According to the indictment, Webber signed a settlement agreement with the U.S. in 2007 in which he agreed to never apply for a Federal Firearms License or operate a business that sold firearms, but he violated that agreement sometime between 2007 and 2012.

In support of the claim, the indictment says Webber bought firearms from a New York wholesaler and pointed to records dated November 2010 to April 2012.

Webber’s former attorney, Mitch Vilos, told Guns.com in a previous interview that Webber signed the agreement after he failed to properly transfer a machine gun to a buyer and faced harsher punishment if he did not comply.

Vilos represented Webber in a civil suit against the feds to recover 409 firearms, gun parts and equipment, but that case was put on hold pending the completion of the criminal case.

During the past two years, Webber’s defense tried to have the court dismiss firearm charges, but the court denied the motions. Webber faces 13 counts including importing and manufacturing guns without a license and smuggling goods into the U.S.

The DOJ also accused Webber of filing false tax returns from 2007 to 2010 and under reporting gross sales from his business.

Testimony will be heard from more than 40 people involved in the case, including Webber, his family and Vilos. The trial is scheduled to end Sept. 28.

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