Edward Daniel Kimpton, 25, was arrested last Friday by agents from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US Secret Service and charged with federal wire fraud, mail fraud and possession of a machine gun, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina.
"Evidence indicates that Kimpton has engaged in a sophisticated fraud scheme in which he has fraudulently obtained a high quantity of high value firearms, ammunition, firearm accessories, and tactical equipment," according to the criminal complaint authored by a special agent with the ATF.
Authorities say Kimpton purchased weapons and tactical material from various online sellers and retailers, often using fictitious names, and then disputed the charges for the items, claiming he never received them. A confidential informant notified federal agents of suspicious transactions involving Kimpton's use of PayPal, which led the ATF to investigate.
According to the complaint, officials suspect Kimpton of defrauding victims in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington state.
On April 28, the complaint says, federal agents searched Kimpton's residence and a storage unit. Among the items seized were five bump stocks, according to the complaint -- devices that allow a semiautomatic weapon to be fired continuously. Officials noted that it is against the law to use such a device, which reclassifies a firearm as a machine gun in violation of federal law.
During their investigation, ATF and US Secret Service agents reviewed Kimpton's online search history, noting in the complaint that he appeared to have conducted searches related to the firearms used in the 2018 school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, as well as information about the shooter.
Investigators also said Kimpton had viewed webpages with content regarding mass shooters in Charleston and Florence, South Carolina.
While executing search warrants, investigators recovered 90 firearms -- including semiautomatics -- more than 23,000 rounds of ammunition, body armor, tactical helmets, tactical clothing, firearm scopes, gas masks, numerous loaded magazines and the bump stocks, according to the complaint.
Jonathan Harvey, an attorney for Kimpton, declined to comment on the charges to CNN, citing the case's early stages.
"The US Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina makes it a priority to keep our communities safe, even in light of the pandemic," US Attorney Peter McCoy Jr. said in a statement to CNN, adding that "this complaint is a perfect example of those efforts."
According to a Justice Department spokesman, Kimpton was presented for an initial appearance on Tuesday, waived preliminary and detention hearings, and remains in federal custody.
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Man who allegedly researched mass shootings is charged with fraud and possession of machine gun - CNN
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