CONCORD, NH – A Manchester man was indicted for dealing firearms without a license and defrauding his employer, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announced Thursday.
Patrick Goulet, 34, was charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of dealing in firearms without a license.
According to the indictment, Goulet worked for a New Hampshire-based firearms manufacturer which offered its employees the opportunity to purchase a limited number of firearms and firearms accessories at a large discount. Employees could also gift the discount to a friend or family member. However, the manufacturer prohibited its employees from selling or otherwise using the discount for personal profit.
Goulet used social media platforms such as Facebook to locate persons interested in buying discounted firearms. Goulet charged his customers for access to the discounted firearms. Because Goulet quickly used up his own allotted number of discounted purchases, he used the names and company identification numbers of his co-workers to fulfill order requests. Between August 2021 and June 2024 alone, Goulet facilitated the sale of several hundred discounted firearms and firearms accessories.
The charging statute for wire fraud provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of twice the gross gain or loss. The charging statute for firearms dealing without a license provides a sentence of up to 5 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.