ATLANTA — Alvin Demar and Joshua Carter have been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking dozens of firearms that were later recovered from crime scenes in multiple states and Canada.

Additionally, Jamal Plunkett received a sentence for possessing one of the trafficked firearms.

“Firearm traffickers present an acute and dangerous threat to communities within and outside our district,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The sentencing of these defendants is an example of our office’s unwavering commitment to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle gun trafficking operations, and to prosecute those who jeopardize the wellbeing of our communities by funneling firearms to criminals.”

“Identifying and disrupting firearms trafficking is one of ATF’s key missions. These convictions and subsequent sentences send a clear message that firearm trafficking and the illegal possession and use of firearms will not be tolerated,” ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones said.

Between July 2021 and January 2022, Alvin Demar, a convicted felon with prior convictions for drug trafficking and aggravated robbery, paid individuals, including Joshua Carter, to straw purchase dozens of handguns in the metro Atlanta area.

Demar then sold these weapons to others who either trafficked them or used them in crimes.

The guns purchased and sold by Carter and Demar were recovered from crime scenes in various locations, including Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; the District of Columbia; Gainesville, Georgia; French Camp, California; Edmonton, Canada; and Toronto, Canada. Some of these firearms were used in shootings before law enforcement confiscated them. For example, in November 2021, Carter purchased a Glock pistol linked to three shootings in Atlanta. Another weapon, a Ruger pistol bought by Carter, was stolen and discharged 17 times by Jamal Plunkett in Gainesville, Georgia.

Demar also illegally possessed numerous firearms. In December 2019, Atlanta police officers arrested Demar after finding a loaded Glock pistol in a vehicle he was driving.

In November 2022, federal agents found another loaded Glock pistol in his bedroom and a USAS-12 semiautomatic shotgun in his garage.

The USAS-12 is classified under federal law as a destructive device and must be registered, which Demar, due to his criminal history, was prohibited from possessing.

Alvin Marvin Demar, 47, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was convicted of multiple charges, including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an unregistered destructive device. He pleaded guilty to these charges on March 27, 2024.

Joshua Carter, 29, of McDonough, Georgia, received a three-year prison sentence followed by two years of supervised release from Judge Ross on June 5, 2024. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer on January 23, 2024.

Jamal Plunkett, 36, of Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on October 10, 2023. Plunkett pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm on May 19, 2023.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the DeKalb County Police Department and Gainesville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, strengthening PSN principles such as fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, and setting strategic enforcement priorities.