A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic phantom weapons and launder money Wednesday, a federal prosecutor said.
Robert Alcantara, 36, of Providence, conspired to sell more than 100 ghost guns to people in the Dominican Republic, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.
Authorities said Alcantara was pulled over in his vehicle in possession of kits to build approximately 45 ghost handguns on Nov. 20, 2021. When questioned, Alcantara said he planned to convert the 45 kits into working firearms and had 50. additional similar ghost weapons at his home, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors allege that Alcantara used his Rhode Island home as a factory to convert ghost pistols into functional firearms, sold those firearms to the Dominican Republic and laundered the funds.
Alcantara reportedly sent photos to buyers in the Dominican Republic advertising the firearms he had available for sale, the prosecutor’s office said.
Alcantara is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15.
