Grand Jury Indicts O.C. Gun Importer
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LOS ANGELES — A federal grand jury on Friday indicted a Santa Ana firearms importer and distributor on 16 felony tax evasion charges for allegedly failing to pay nearly $500,000 in excise taxes.
Donald Mitchell, 64, of Fountain Valley failed to pay taxes for four years on guns he imported at his Mitchell Arms Inc. store in Santa Ana, Assistant U.S. Atty. David Lavine said. Neither Mitchell nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
If convicted on all charges, Mitchell faces a maximum of 80 years in prison and a $4-million fine.
Mitchell has been an arms importer and distributor since 1982, operating out of the same shop on MacArthur Boulevard since 1988, Lavine said.
The indictment accuses Mitchell of failing to file excise tax payments for 16 straight quarters from 1991 to 1994. The tax is 10% on handguns and 11% on long guns, the prosecutor said.
“He had had prior contact with law enforcement over this same problem and had been given a chance to correct it,” Lavine said.
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