A San Francisco man with a felonious past has been sentenced to six years behind bars for running an illegal firearms manufacturing and trafficking operation. Craig Bolland, 40, was copped to charges including dealing guns without a license and possession of a machinegun following an indictment by a federal grand jury earlier this year. A plea was entered on September 13.
Bolland's DIY gun shop was a veritable factory turning out untraceable "ghost guns" made from 3-D printed parts and unserialized firepower, selling them to criminals who paid with cash, crypto, and drugs, which the feds uncovered with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and San Francisco Police. During his criminal career from at least June 2021 through May 30, 2023, Bolland profited by installing "switches" on semiautomatics to make them fully automatic before peddling them, the date he was nabbed with a stockpile of guns and ammo, including four handguns and a no-serial-number AR-15 style rifle, as he admitted in the plea agreement that he was also brokering deals for other sellers and collecting a commission for his middleman services.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria handed down the sentence, and upon Bolland's release from prison, he'll be under supervised release for three years, the Department of Justice revealed. Assistant U.S. Attorney George O. Hageman prosecuted the case with help from Amala James.
Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Cicolani of the ATF commented on the serious nature of the offenses, emphasizing the threat to public safety posed by such illicit arms dealing activities, guns, and ammo found in possession of one previously judged unfit to wield them, which only multiply the chances for disaster, the Department of Justice statement elaborates.
