A former Philadelphia sheriff’s deputy is facing federal gun trafficking charges after he allegedly sold weapons to an FBI informant.
The Philadelphia Inquirerreports Samir Ahmad, a four-year veteran, was arrested and charged with firearms trafficking and selling firearms to a person unlawfully in the United States. Ahmad, 29, is accused of selling two handguns to a confidential informant on Oct. 13, while he was a sworn law enforcement officer as a deputy sheriff.
During Ahmad’s exchange with the undercover agent, the informant told the sheriff’s deputy he could “get deported” if he was caught in possession of a gun. Ahmad, who made $3,000 off the sale, responded, “You don’t got to worry about none of that.”
Federal prosecutors traced the two pistols to a recent shooting that took place outside Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, which left one teenager killed and four others wounded.
“Samir Ahmad abused his authority—to the greatest extent possible—as a sworn law enforcement officer,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in an official statement. “The defendant was allegedly illegally selling firearms on the street to at least one person who was not permitted to possess them, adding fuel to the already-incendiary fire of deadly gun violence in the City of Philadelphia. Working with our law enforcement partners, we are doing all that we can to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence.”
Ahmad, who was employed with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office since February 2018, was terminated on Oct. 19, the same day he was arrested by federal agents.
If convicted, Ahmad faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison.
