Ex-deputy admits buying assault rifles for Blackwater

By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 15, 2011

GREENVILLE, N.C.

A former deputy pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to using the Camden County Sheriff's Office as a front to buy automatic weapons for the military contractor formerly known as Blackwater.

Jonathan Worthington, 45, who worked as a Camden deputy and as a firearms instructor for Blackwater, used Sheriff's Office letterhead in spring 2005 to buy 17 AK-47s from an import company known as Century International Arms and 17 M4s from Bushmaster.

That resulted in charges of aiding and abetting others by making false statements related to records required of a licensed firearms dealer.

As a private firearms dealer, Blackwater could not possess more than two fully automatic weapons. Police agencies, however, are allowed to have automatic weapons.

The Camden Sheriff's Office served as the legal buyer, but in reality, Blackwater paid for the weapons and stored them in a secure armory at the company's compound in Camden County, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bowler said.

Camden County, with only 12 full-time deputies at the time, had no need for 34 automatic weapons, Bowler said. After the federal investigation began, some Camden deputies carried M4s "to put in a nice appearance," he said.

In June 2008, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized the automatic weapons at the Blackwater compound. Former Blackwater president Gary Jackson, former vice president William Mathews Jr., former general counsel Andrew Howell, former vice president Ana Bundy and Ronald Slezak, who handled federal firearms paperwork, were indicted last year. They face similar charges and are awaiting trial.

Worthington is expected to be sentenced in February.

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Justice?

Submitted by inthemiddle on Wed, 11/16/2011 at 3:17 pm.

Eric Holder hands automatic weapons to the Mexican drug cartels and they kill thousands of people...including a Border Patrol Agent. Nothing happens..... Blackwater uses weapons to train the CIA, they keep them under lock and key, and hand them over to the ATF when asked to do so. Now, the DOJ wants to put them in jail. Does anyone not see how crazy that looks? If Blackwater gets prosecuted for doing their jobs, then Holder should be facing the death penalty.

Change the law

Submitted by N2dirt on Tue, 11/15/2011 at 10:52 am.

No reason for a limit of two automatics.

Is the deputy the only one involved? Hard to believe he is.

What

Submitted by rynochaser on Tue, 11/15/2011 at 9:31 am.

The Blackwater Story ie XE keeps getting better and better...I bet the tax paying citizens of Camden would love to hear about the money spent on AK's, but then again the schools do get a half day when deer season starts.