Oakland man convicted of dealing guns he bought in Texas, sold on Instagram

OAKLAND, Calif. - A federal jury convicted an Oakland man of selling guns that he bought in Texas and then sold, mostly on Instagram, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Robert Davis, 31, was found guilty at the end of a weeklong trial, prosecutors said in a news release on Thursday. 

He was formally convicted of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and firearms possession for guns he illegally bought in Texas. 

The jury also found that on a separate occasion Davis illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition as a felon.  The jury acquitted Davis of an additional charge that Davis had possessed and shipped firearms. 

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Worth (TX) Police Department.

Prosecutors said that evidence at trial showed Davis traveling back and forth between California and Texas, where he illegally bought firearms at gun shows.

He then shipped them back to the Bay Area where he advertised and sold them for profit, often on Instagram.  

On December 22, 2021, police searched Davis' home and found a loaded 5.7mm firearm there, as well as more than 100 rounds of ammunition.

 Because he had previously been convicted of a felony, prosecutors said he was ineligible to possess the firearm and the ammunition.

Davis is currently in custody pending sentencing, which U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín has not yet scheduled.