By: Tracie Carter
A 30-year-old New Jersey man will spend up to two decades behind bars after admitting he orchestrated a firearm purchasing scheme that investigators say funneled guns into criminal hands.
Christopher Demond Lee Jr., of Ewing, was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison after pleading guilty to felony charges including criminal conspiracy and providing false information during firearm transactions.
According to a statement released by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Lee bought nine firearms between January and July 2024 in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
Authorities said he obtained a Pennsylvania driver’s license using a fraudulent Bucks County address to sidestep residency requirements and purchase the weapons.
Prosecutors determined the firearms were bought for individuals legally prohibited from owning guns — a practice commonly known as straw purchasing.
Three of the weapons were later tied to separate criminal investigations.
In April 2024, one handgun was used in a Trenton shooting in which a victim was struck multiple times.
In June, another firearm with a defaced serial number was discovered in a juvenile’s bedroom during a probation search in Bucks County. A third weapon was recovered in Philadelphia during an August narcotics arrest.
During sentencing, Senior Judge Jeffrey Finley noted Lee had no prior criminal record but stressed the grave impact of illegally supplying firearms, pointing out that such weapons frequently surface in violent crimes.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said straw purchasing schemes serve as a direct pipeline, placing guns in the hands of those barred from possessing them.
The case was investigated by the Bucks County Strike Force in partnership with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force.