B.C. man gets prison sentence, fine for using fake names to buy guns in the U.S.

A U.S. federal court has sentenced a 27-year-old Kelowna man to 18 months in prison for using false identities to purchase firearms in Montana with the intent to smuggle them into Canada.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana says Haptei John Kozak pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of making false statements during firearm transactions. District Court Judge Donald Molloy also imposed a $10,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and ordered Kozak to forfeit 12 firearms seized during the investigation.

Prosecutors said Kozak used a fake Montana driver’s licence and falsified personal details to buy firearms in several Montana cities last year. A review of his text messages and other evidence indicated that he planned to transport the guns across the border for resale in Canada.

U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said black-market smuggling operations like Kozak’s fuel gun violence both in the United States and abroad, as these weapons often end up in criminal hands. The investigation involved the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the RCMP.