Barberton man accused of making ghost guns with 3D printer

AKRON, Ohio — A Barberton man is accused of making so-called ghost guns with a 3D printer and selling them from his home, federal agents say.

Alexander Beattie, 33, made three guns and sold them to undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to court records.

Beattie is charged in federal court in Akron with selling guns without a license and illegally making firearms.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Amanda Knapp ordered he remain in federal custody until a Nov. 19 hearing. A message was left with Beattie's attorney, Carolyn Kucharski.

ATF agents began investigating Beattie after a former informant told agents that Beattie was looking to sell ghost guns and Glock switches.

Ghost guns are untraceable and have increasingly shown up at crime scenes in recent years. 3D printers can be used to design and create parts that can be assembled into a weapon.

Agents looked at Beattie's social media postings and saw several of him posing with guns, according to court records.

An undercover agent posed as a customer and had long text conversations about Beattie making and selling guns, court records show. The undercover agent went to Beattie's home to check out the gun-making operation at Beattie's request, according to court records.

"That way, you know where I live, but also you'll probably be more comfortable when you see I keep it pretty chill and decent at home and not like a hot a- soon to be busted operation or scam center either," Beattie texted the agent, according to court records.

Beattie told the agent that he typically sells guns for about $400, depending the on the kind of gun, and that he charged about $50 for Glock switches, devices that make semi-automatic guns fire automatically.

Court filings indicate that he ultimately sold three guns to the agent in August and September — a Glock-style handgun for $400, another gun for $550 and a third gun, called an FGC-9. Court records do not say how much that gun cost.

When the agent went to pick up the final gun on Sept. 27, Beattie asked if the agent could bring a bag just in case any law enforcement officers spotted it.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just usually prefer to avoid those guys with badges who are power hungry," Beattie texted the agent.