Orlando gun smuggler sentenced for shipping weapons and stealing almost $2 million in COVID insurance

A United States district judge sentenced a man to seven and a half years in prison for shipping firearms, wire fraud, and identity theft, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

A 35-year-old from Orlando, Florida, will serve time in federal prison for his role in shipping firearms to the United Kingdom.

Daniel Johnson, also known as "Shotta" and "Lajon Black," shipped weaponry to a conspirator in Rugby, England, in December 2019 and January 2020. The firearms were shipped in a wrapped safe and declared to be "car parts" on customs paperwork in order to avoid detection.

"Shotta" is also charged with committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He and conspirators used personal information from other individuals to apply for and obtain unemployment benefits in their names, without their knowledge.

The charges were related to COVID-19 unemployment insurance relief. The benefits were sent on debit cards to the desired addresses. Johnson and others either withdrew money from the cards or purchased U.S. postal money orders to ensure they could get the cash.

The conspirators would exchange personal information of victims and teach others how to use the information to file claims for unemployment insurance benefits. Johnson and his cohorts attempted to acquire $1.9 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, of which more than $555,000 was paid out.

“Daniel Johnson’s lawless pursuits have finally come to a halt, thanks to the collaborative efforts between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our federal partners,” said Juan A. Vargas, inspector in charge of the Miami Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General said that Johnson defrauded 19 different state workforce agencies in his pursuit to collect the pandemic assistance funds.

Homeland Security commented on Johnson's gun smuggling, claiming that disrupting the flow of the firearms will save lives in the United States and abroad.

The case was a fairly large undertaking that involved the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom also assisted in the investigation.

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