MAN CHARGED WITH ACTING AS AN UNLICENSED GUN DEALER; FOUR OTHERS ARRESTED ON GUN CHARGES

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that, as a result of a joint investigation with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Firearms Violence Team, five people have been charged with crimes involving the illegal sale and possession of various regulated firearms, with such conduct stretching from Baltimore County to Baltimore City and Harford County.

Gerry James Hege, 30, 8064 Roslyn Avenue, Baltimore County, was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with one count of Selling Regulated Firearms without a Regulated Dealer’s License, and nine counts of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm. Hege is alleged to have engaged in the business of selling, renting, and transferring regulated firearms for nearly two years without being properly licensed by the State of Maryland. It is further alleged that he unlawfully sold numerous handguns, as well as an assault rifle, without complying with any of the transfer requirements set by Maryland law, including that the prospective buyer complete a Maryland State Police Application and Affidavit to Purchase a Regulated Firearm--designed to ensure that individuals prohibited by law from possessing guns are not sold such weapons.

Ronald Gorman Frank, 41, 3523 Prospect Road, Street, Harford County, was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with three counts of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, and three counts of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Frank is also charged in the Circuit Court for Harford County with seven counts of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Frank is alleged to have illegally purchased several guns from Hege, as he allegedly failed to complete the required paperwork. Further, Frank is charged with illegally possessing numerous regulated firearms, including an assault weapon, while being prohibited by law from possessing such weapons as a result of a previous felony conviction.

Travis Todd Bynaker, 1113 Anglesea Street, Baltimore City, was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with three counts of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm, and three counts of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Bynaker was also charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City with one count of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Bynaker is alleged to have purchased several guns from Hege without completing the required paperwork, and is further alleged to be prohibited by law from possessing such weapons as a result of a disqualifying misdemeanor conviction.

Scott Kreh, 33, 609 Mace Avenue, Baltimore County, was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with six counts of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm. Kreh is not only alleged to have bought guns from Hege without completing the required transfer paperwork, but he is also charged with selling a handgun to a person who is was under the age of 21 at the time, and thus, prohibited from lawfully possessing a handgun under Maryland law.

Ryan Forrest Thomas, 21, 2215 Line Bridge Road, Whiteford, Harford County, was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with one count of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm, and one count of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm by a Person Under the Age of 21. Thomas was also charged in the Circuit Court for Harford County with one count of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm by a Person Under the Age of 21. He is alleged to have illegally purchased a handgun from Scott Kreh by not completing the required paperwork. Thomas is further charged with illegally possessing the handgun because he was under the age of 21 at the time, and thus, unable to legally purchase or possess a handgun.

This case was investigated by the Baltimore County Police Department’s Firearms Violence Team, and will be prosecuted by the Firearms Trafficking Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. The Firearms Trafficking Unit is funded from grants received from the Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention, and the Maryland State Police Cease Fire Council.

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