Jerrell Lawson, 31, and Aisha Hoggatt, 29, both of Sacramento; Malek Williams, 28, of Atlanta; Terrence Phillips, 39, of Union City; and James Gordley, 32, of Modesto were arrested March 11.
In addition, Lawson, Hoggatt, Williams and Phillips were charged with transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident and illegally mailing a firearm.
According to the complaint, Lawson and the others purchased more than 500 firearms, totaling over $162,000 in purchases, between November 2019 and October 2021.
The defendants face maximum sentences of five years in prison for each count of conspiracy and unlawful dealing in firearms. Lawson, Hoggatt, Williams and Phillips also face prison sentences of up to five years for each count of transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident and illegally mailing a firearm.
He previously wrote for the USA Today network of newspapers including the Ventura County Star, where he covered the Thomas and Woolsey wildfires and the Borderline mass shooting, the Spectrum & Daily News in Utah and the Lansing State Journal in Michigan.