Thread: Nashville Cop Convicted of Making False Statements to a Firearms Dealer

Nashville, Tenn. — Edwing Ronal Morales, a former Metropolitan Nashville police officer, was found guilty on December 15, 2010 by a jury, after a two day trial in U.S. District Court in Nashville, of two counts of making false statements to a firearms dealer during two attempted purchases of handguns in 2009, announced Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; Glenn N. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Nashville Field Division; Jon Ruttencutter, Resident Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Nashville Field Office; and Steve Anderson, Interim Chief of Police, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

According to the trial testimony, Morales went to Guns and Leather, a federal firearms licensee, located in Greenbrier, Tennessee on two occasions in May and July of 2009. Morales attempted to purchase handguns for a friend and co-defendant in the case, Julio Rojas-Lopez. During the attempted purchases, Morales, a Nashville police officer since September 2007, falsely represented on a Firearms Transaction Record, commonly known as a 4473 Form, that he was the actual buyer of handguns that were actually intended for Rojas-Lopez, who was illegally transporting guns to Guatemala. Morales was terminated from the police department in September 2009.

wow. that's bad.

Good. Send his *** to a Federal prison and put him in gen pop.

Can't put him in gen pop, but certainly send his butt up the river...

I know that they used to send cops that got prison time in CA to "club fed" at Nellis AFB in Nevada. I think that they closed the program there after changing the mission of the base so I don't know where they send them now but I'm thinking Gen Pop is a no go. PC at a minimum so he can bunk with the gang quitters, chesters, rapists and others that give the common criminals (thieves and murderers) a bad name.

Yikes. The things people will do for a little bit of $$ Or maybe misguided friendship, whichever it was... jeesh.

Originally Posted by Redcap

Good. Send his *** to a Federal prison and put him in gen pop.

Agreed, no special treatment. Break the law and pay like everyone else. Simple.

Originally Posted by MountainBear

Can't put him in gen pop, but certainly send his butt up the river...

I don't see why not.

Because he is a police officer and deserves special treatment because he might get beat up

Gen pop would be a death sentence for an ex-cop and everybody knows it. As soon as he was killed his family would move against the warden in a huge wrongful-death suit.

I sure would like to hear the rest of the story: How were the guns getting to Guatemala? What was their intended purpose? What models did he buy? And how does one unsuccessfully "attempt" to buy them? It's not like he told the guy at the counter that they're for his buddy. I hope he's not that dumb, anyway.

Gen Pop is a death sentence too many individuals and so what if he is a cop. He belongs there with the rest of the dirt bags.

He is a dirtbag. How did this guy become a cop to begin with? They should fry him.

Originally Posted by chemist

Gen pop would be a death sentence for an ex-cop and everybody knows it. As soon as he was killed his family would move against the warden in a huge wrongful-death suit.

I sure would like to hear the rest of the story: How were the guns getting to Guatemala? What was their intended purpose? What models did he buy? And how does one unsuccessfully "attempt" to buy them? It's not like he told the guy at the counter that they're for his buddy. I hope he's not that dumb, anyway.

Not sure how they got them down south but I recall talking to a guy who was a photographer for the AP or National Geographic - whatever - he used to shoot war zone pics around the world. He was telling me that he used to pick up Uzis in Israel and would go to the toy store and buy some toy Uzis, hit the hardware store and buy some day-glo spray paint. Paint the guns to look like toys, put them in the toy packaging and fly home with them in checked luggage. Of course this was long before TSA and would never work today.

Because the punishment should fit the crime, same for everyone. He is definitely a dirtbag. But his crime is not deserving of a death sentence. And anyone who has been an LEO is either going to have to kill or be killed in genpop. The punishment in this case would not fit the crime...