Convicted Felon Arrested with Loaded Semi-Automatic Handgun, Heroin, Cocaine and Body Armor in His Possession
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced felony charges against two Northeast Philadelphia men for the straw purchase and illegal transfer of 11 handguns.
Jeffrey Brett, 37, of the 9700 block of Lochwood Road, Philadelphia, was charged with buying 11 semi-automatic handguns at three different gun stores in Philadelphia. Brett then illegally transferred the guns to Jerome Bogerty, 33, of the 6300 block of Farnsworth Street, Philadelphia, who is a convicted felon and not legally permitted to possess a gun.
During the execution of a search warrant on Bogerty’s residence, investigators recovered cocaine, heroin, two ballistic vests, more than $2,000 in cash and a 12th gun – a Glock 9MM semi-automatic handgun containing 30 live rounds.
“Pennsylvanians have the right to feel safe in their homes and their neighborhoods,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “I’m working to protect that right by getting guns out of the hands of criminals who don’t have the right to possess them. Through the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force, we’re collaborating every day with our law enforcement partners to target gun traffickers like these defendants.”
Brett and Bogerty were charged with violations of the Uniform Firearms Act, unsworn falsification to authorities and tampering with official records. The investigation was opened following a tip from Locks Gun Shop in Northeast Philadelphia. Alert employees at the gun shop observed Brett buying three handguns at the store, exiting the shop, and turning the guns over in a nearby parking lot to a man later identified by investigators as Bogerty. Attorney General agents then tracked eight more straw purchases between Brett and Bogerty at two other Philadelphia gun shops close in time to the first illegal transfers.
Through the work of the Gun Violence Task Force, a joint collaboration with the Office of Attorney General, Philadelphia Police and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General Shapiro is targeting gun traffickers in Philadelphia and prosecuting gun crimes. The Task Force has seized more than 150 guns in the past year. Attorney General Shapiro is seeking to expand the Task Force’s work to other communities struggling with gun-related crime, like Chester, Carlisle, Hazelton and other cities.
Brett and Bogerty are being held in Philadelphia County Prison on $1,000,000 bail each. Status hearings are scheduled for Bogerty on July 10 and Brett on July 17. The cases will be prosecuted by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
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