On January 15, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio released a press statement announcing that Richard Seawright, a 28-year-old resident of Cleveland, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison. This verdict was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster. Seawright had pleaded guilty to the charges of reselling firearms that he had acquired legally, without possessing a federal firearms license. Additionally, he was found to have provided false information on paperwork, claiming to be the actual buyer.
According to court documents, Seawright legally purchased over 50 firearms from federally licensed dealers in Northeast Ohio between April 17, 2018, and December 12, 2022. He confessed to falsifying federal firearms transaction record forms, which are mandatory for informing buyers about the specific restrictions on firearm receipt and possession. These forms are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Each buyer must certify that they have no intention of transferring or selling the firearm. Seawright admitted to buying the firearms with the purpose of selling them to individuals who were not legally permitted to purchase or possess firearms. This practice is commonly referred to as ‘straw purchasing.’
Law enforcement officials uncovered that Seawright’s purchases from a licensed firearms dealer were resold to others and used in various acts of violence. The ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) traced firearms bought by Seawright to crimes. Ballistic cross analysis revealed that the firearms originally purchased by the defendant were connected to multiple NIBIN incidents, including one that led to a homicide.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Kane for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted this case, which was investigated by ATF-Cleveland.