CAMDEN, N.J. – Two South Jersey men were arrested for conspiring to manufacture and distribute firearms, including machine guns, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
David Bibler, 55, of Haddon Heights, New Jersey, and Francis Hillsee, 36, of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, are each charged by complaint with conspiring to manufacture and distribute firearms without a license and possession of a machinegun. Hillsee was also charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon. Bibler appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio in Camden federal court on May 6, 2021, and was detained.
Hillsee is currently in custody on an unrelated matter and will have his initial appearance at a future date.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from December 2020 to February 2021, Bibler was identified as a firearms manufacturer who offered for sale homemade firearms, including fully automatic pistols and rifles, as well as silencers.
Hillsee was identified as Bibler’s conspirator, orchestrating sales and pricing. Bibler and Hillsee manufactured and sold 12 firearms, including two fully automatic pistols and one fully automatic rifle, and one silencer.
Hillsee also sold boxes of ammunition. When he was arrested, Bibler had in his home eight firearms, including rifles and pistols, as well as firearm manufacturing equipment, explosive powder, and a large amount of ammunition. Each count of conspiring to engage in the business of manufacturing and distributing firearms without a license carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of possession of a machinegun carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The possession of ammunition by a felon charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.