A Columbus man, Jamie L. Pannell, aged 43, was sentenced to 78 months in prison today for illegal arms dealings, including the sale of automatic firearms to an undercover agent. The sentencing, handed down in U.S. District Court, is the culmination of a sequence of events dating back to April and May of 2023 when Pannell engaged in the sale of various firearms, some equipped with auto-conversion devices that are illegal under federal law.
Details from court documents revealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio state that Pannell sold eight firearms during controlled transactions with law enforcement. These included firearms with devices that could convert the weapons to function as fully automatic machine guns, which can discharge the entire magazine of bullets rapidly with a single trigger pull. The court took special note of Pannell's past, which, as a previously convicted felon, strictly prohibited him from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The inquiry into Pannell's activities brought to light his interactions with an undercover agent, where he detailed the differences between metal and plastic switches for such conversion devices, expressing his capability to procure more for future sales. Two of the weapons sold were indeed equipped with these illegal switches. Pannell's prior convictions also mar his record, including violent crimes committed against women.
Pannell faced charges in June 2023 and entered a guilty plea in April 2024 for his crimes, affirming the federal accusations of being a felon in possession of firearms and possessing machineguns. The proceedings were presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson, with the case prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Geraghty. The sentencing was announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, alongside Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
