Man sentenced to state prison for straw purchase of 13 firearms, possessing child pornography
A Philadelphia man was sentenced today to 12 ½ to 25 years in state prison for illegally trafficking 13 firearms, one of which was later used in a homicide in Philadelphia. The investigation into the illegal gun operation also led to the discovery of child pornography on his phone.
In June, Jermaine Bantum, 36, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to total of 68 counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, making false statements on firearm purchase forms, illegal sales of a firearm, illegal sales of firearms to an ineligible transferee, and criminal conspiracy. All the counts are felonies. At the time, he also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.
On Monday, he appeared before Common Pleas Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. for sentencing. In addition to the state prison sentence on the gun case, Bateman also sentenced Bantum to 12 months of probation and ordered him to register as a sex offender for 15 years.
The initial charges stemmed from a Bucks County Detectives Gun Violence Task Force investigation that found Bantum was involved in the unlawful sale and transfer of at least 13 handguns between 2018 and 2023.
