Former Reality Star Indicted, Arrested For Firearm, Tax Crimes

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

I saw a few episodes of this show back in the day and something seemed off to me. I couldn’t put my finger on specifically what it was, but this explains a lot.

A former reality star on the show American Guns, which aired on the Discovery Channel, has been indicted and arrested for firearm and tax crimes.

Richard Wyatt, 52, of Evergreen, surrendered to authorities Thursday on charges of conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a license and tax-related charges.

Wyatt was the subject of a 13-count federal grand jury indictment in Denver.

According to the indictment, Wyatt allegedly illegally sold guns and failed to report over $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service. He operated Gunsmoke, a store in Wheat Ridge that sold firearms, accessories and provided gunsmithing services. The store was the subject of American Guns, which ran on the Discovery Channel from 2011 to 2012. There were a total of 26 episodes.

Wyatt controlled the store’s bank account and was the principal decision-maker for the business.

On Feb. 17, 2012, Wyatt and several others, who have not been named, conspired to deal in firearms without a license.

In April 2012, he surrendered his Federal Firearms License due to his violations of federal laws and regulations.

When Gunsmoke surrendered the license, Wyatt changed the address of a store called Triggers Firearms, LLC and a firearms license to the Gunsmoke address, even though they did not play a role in managing Triggers and they did not receive any profits.

Wyatt submitted false paperwork to the ATF to hide that Triggers was acting as a straw licensee for Gunsmoke.

Read the rest of the article: http://www.9news.com/news/crime/former-reality-star-indicted-arrested-for-firearm-tax-crimes/40260539