Another gunshop gets raided .. this time in New Orleans

[Phaetos]

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/05/east_jefferson_bureau_federal.html

Federal agents this morning raided Elliot's Gun Shop in Old Jefferson, one of the busiest gun dealers in Louisiana, confiscating all its firearms, ammunition and business records and seizing the property.

"This store will never operate again," said Robert Browning, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Louisiana.

The store manager, Hermann Eicke, 65, was arrested at his home in Kenner, authorities said. Two employees, Timothy Harris Sr., 54, and Rebecca Zitzman, 42, were arrested out of state.
STAFF PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCUSKERAmid a Wednesday morning rainstorm, an ATF agent carries two fists full hand guns out of Elliott's Small Arms on Jefferson Highway during a raid there.

Authorities said the raid marked the culmination of a 15-month investigation by ATF and the Secret Service. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office also was on the scene of the store at 3008 Jefferson Highway at Causeway Boulevard.

The charges against the store workers involve a mix of firearms violations and identify theft related to police purchases of guns.

Police officers receive a manufacturer's discount when buying guns. Yet the store was not only getting manufacturer discounts to sell to police but also using the police customer credentials to buy extra firearms at wholesale for its regular stock, then selling those guns at regular prices to the general public, federal authorities said.

Zitzman was booked with filing false federal arms records. Eicke and Harris were booked with aggravated identity theft and misuse of law enforcement credentials.

ATF said Harris operated the store as Elliot's Small Arms until the agency revoked his federal gun dealer's license in 2005, after repeatedly citing him for violations. Eicke, who had been an employee, then took out a license and began operating the store as Elliot's Gun Shop.

A 2004 study by the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation found Elliot's one of the top dealers in the United States for selling guns later used in crimes. The study found that 120 U.S. dealers had each sold at least 200 guns linked to crimes between 1996 and 2000. Elliot's had sold 890, according to the study.

The foundation said it supports the right to own guns but advocates responsible gun laws.

Elliot's and the other stores on its list did not necessarily sell guns to people who committed firearm-related crimes. But the foundation said the volume suggested the need for more monitoring of gun dealers.

In an interview in 2004, Eicke said his was one of the busiest gun shops in Louisiana, and that the sheer volume of business made it inevitable that some guns later involved in crime would be traced back to his store. Many of the guns were stolen from his original buyers, he said.

 

[gezzer]

The big deal here is the TAX FRAUD. Police guns have no tax where civillians pay Pittsman/Robinson Tax

 

[BADUNAME13]

That Sux, Elliot's was one of the good ones.

YEA there's more guns connect to crime... it's NEW ORLEANS!

 

[JWarren]

I've bought from them in the past when I lived in NO. I enjoyed talking with them. This is a shame.

-- John

 

[S&W 910]

If you bought a gun there ....post from the comment section

YES, these guys are CROOKS. I bought a Kimber .45 there in April of 2005. My cousin had bought a similar Kimber .45 from them in 2003 and was completely happy with the shop's service and it's prices. They had the best selection of what I was looking for and a decent price compared to other places I had looked. Yes, the people seemed nice and everything seemed fine, I even recommended them to other people. BUT, at the end of October, 2005, I was pulled over for a traffic violation on my way out of New Orleans and when asked if I had any weapons, I said yes and told them where the pistol was in the car AND got out MY ORIGINAL sales receipt showing that I had bought it from Elliot's 6 months earlier. I had been doing animal rescue in and around New Orleans and the police and National Guard made it clear that we could carry our guns with us but we should always have some type of proof of ownership on us at all times because of people looting and stealing firearms from vacant homes. So that's exactly what I did, otherwise I never would have been carrying my receipt around with me in the first place. Nevertheless, the officer called the serial number in and it came back as being reported stolen from Elliot's DURING Hurricane Katrina, even though I had ACTUALLY bought it 5 months earlier and had proof with me. I spent all night and half of the next day in the St. Charles parish jail until a judge looked over the case and said I could be bailed out. They got in touch with the ATF to search for the matching record of me filling out the background check on the same date as was listed on my receipt. It still took me 6 more months to get the gun back. During this time, I called Elliot's and asked to speak with the manager two times but they said he wasn't there and he never called me back. Then, I went back down to Elliot's and told them what had happened so that maybe they would look into it and see if there was a mistake, but they told me to my face that they didn't know what I was talking about and that they had not been robbed during Katrina and they had not reported any guns stolen. When I was finally able to track the gun down and speak to the investigators, they said that Elliot's HAD reported numerous guns stolen and that they were saying that all of their records were ruined during Katrina and that my serial number must have accidentally ended up on the list because they didn't have a record of them selling it. The police said that they and the ATF were opening up an investigation on Elliot's and that this was not the first problem they've had with them. Supposedly, Elliot's had just found an easy way to get paid insurance money by reporting a bunch of guns stolen that were actually sold before the alleged "theft" took place. Oh, and when I told my cousin about it (who had bought a gun from them in 2003) he called a friend at the Police department and got him to run the numbers on his gun and it came back being reported stolen from Elliot's as well. And he bought this gun over two years BEFORE Elliot's reported it stolen. So you guys who said you bought firearms - especially high dollar firearms - from Elliot's Pre-Katrina, there may be a good chance that you unknowingly have a reportedly "stolen" firearm in your car or home right now like my cousin does, and like I did until I found out the hard way. I would hope that they have this matter sorted out by now, but I have heard nothing else about it since mid 2006. I'm just glad these guys are out of business now.

Posted on 05/16/07 at 5:59PM

 

[JWarren]

S&W 910,

Wow... just wow.

I retract my previous post that felt any sympathy for Elliot's.

I quickly took a walk through my memories and realized that I only bought accessories from Elliot's. I now remember that I bought my Glock at that shop on Veteran's Blvd.-- the price was better there. Even so, I bought it over 10 years ago-- so I am hoping that it wouldn't be included in any Katrina madness.


I am glad you got through it relatively unscathed.

One day, I may have to tell you my story of how I spent 12 hours in NO Central Lock-up. It ended with no charges filed.

My crime? I learned to NEVER buy a car from a NOPD officer.


-- John

 

[WeThePeople]

As much as some folks here hate the BATFE, based on the above information, this looks like a case where some real criminals were taken out of circulation.

 

[hammer4nc]

Clarification...unless I'm misunderstanding, S&W910's post was not his own experience, it was one post from "jstephens999", taken from the comments section of the original news article. You'll find opinions both pro and con, therein.

For convenience, here's the link to comments...http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/05/east_jefferson_bureau_federal.html#comments

I'd be hesitant to draw a conclusion about this case based on an ATF statement; they've been proven liars in the past. YMMV.

Amusing from the article, ATF now issues bubble-wrap as head gear to be worn during a raid! Well, it beats ski masks, maybe a new tactical camo for agents to blend in with the warehouse environment!

 

[S&W 910]

Sorry for the misunderstanding,that is not my experiance.it is from the comment section of the story on the nola website

after reading it i thought anyone who bought a gun from them might want to have it checked

 

[IfYouOnlyKnew]

Fwiw

I set foot in the shop once while shopping for my first handgun as a complete and total noob. Which I still am. The employee finally worked up a quote on a Taurus 85 but it was apparent to me that I was not a top priority. I stayed about 45 minutes and observed a number of couples in the store "shopping." IE, the male wanted to see the semiauto handgun of his choice while the disinterested female looked bored and impatient. This was well before I understood the concept of a straw sale. Overall it was not a typical day at the gun shop vibe that I got from other local dealers such as Pulgia's in Metairie, Jim's in Baton Rouge, or any of the big box stores like Academy or WM. Just my opinion.

This has been the lead story on the local news for two days now. The slant has not been pro or anti either way but rather this area does not need bad publicity in any fashion but also that the violent crime rate is such that if gun shop owner has in fact been contributing to it than so be it and good riddance.

Innocent until proven guilty. My guess is it will be a plea to lesser charges if they are lucky. Bad time to skirt the BATFE rules with the new hurricane season two weeks away. The feds typically don't role tape and do media interviews unless the evidence is pretty solid. Time will tell. My father used to say the feds will spend a million dollars to prove you stole a dime. In this case, I don't think so. We'll see.