BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor man pleaded not guilty Monday to 17 federal charges brought against him in connection with an alleged illegal handgun-purchasing scheme.
Hayri Berberoglu, 29, is accused of helping straw purchasers buy 15 weapons in 2012 from the Brewer pawn shop where he worked.
Berberoglu, who has not been arrested, was i ndicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month. He entered his pleas at U.S. District Court.
The indictment does not name the straw purchasers or the individuals for whom the guns were bought. It also does not state whether or how Berberoglu was compensated for his participation in the alleged conspiracy.
It is a federal crime for a person to buy a firearm for someone else.
Berberoglu was indicted on two counts of conspiracy to violate federal firearms laws and 15 counts of willful violation of federal firearms record-keeping laws.
He worked for Jimi’s Trading Post in Brewer when the guns were sold illegally, according to the indictment.
People reportedly would come into the State Street pawn shop and falsely claim they were buying the guns for themselves.
Berberoglu knew the individuals were not the actual purchasers and falsified paperwork to say they were, court documents state.
Berberoglu’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 2. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.