Fulton man pleads guilty to federal gun charges
A Callaway County man pleaded guilty to a three-count indictment against him in federal court on Tuesday.
Nathaniel Craig Carroll, 37, of Fulton, pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing a firearm silencer, in violation of the National Firearms Act, to possession of the illegally made firearm silencer, and being a drug user in possession of a firearm contained in the Nov. 16, 2017, federal indictment.
Carroll admitted that he made a suppressor or “silencer” after he was arrested for harassing a state children’s division worker who was involved in a state court case that involved the removal of Carroll’s children from his home.
According to court documents, a judge in Callaway County ordered on Oct. 24, 2017, the case was going to move towards permanent removal of the children from Carroll’s custody.
After the court hearing, Carroll was seen at the Westlake ACE Hardware store in Fulton. A deputy, concerned that Carroll might hurt himself, asked the store’s workers about what Carroll had bought, which included several items to make a suppressor.
Carroll also made statements to the cashier that he was going to make a silencer without a federal license.
Investigators later executed a search warrant on Carroll’s home, around 9 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2017. Law enforcement officers found the suppressor on a shelf in the garage next to a baggie of possible marijuana.
Another suspected silencer was found in a safe with a rifle that was threaded to fit the suppressor next to it.
The suspected silencer appeared to be made from oil filters covered with tape.
Investigators also found 13 guns in the home, more than 1,000 rounds of assorted ammunition, marijuana, and various parts to build additional suppressors.
Carroll could face up 120 months in federal prison without parole on each of the three counts.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, the MUSTANG Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
