NORRISTOWN — A Berks County man linked to a multi-county gun trafficking network received a mitigated sentence after admitting to his role and cooperating with authorities by testifying against two others who were more culpable in the organization.
Lucas Scott Groff, 29, of the unit block of Red Bud Lane, Earl Township, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Monday to 39 days already served to 23 months in jail on charges of corrupt organizations, making repairs or selling offensive weapons, knowledge that property is proceeds of an illegal act, possession of an instrument of crime and possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine in connection with incidents that occurred between January and July 2024.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman also ordered Groff to serve three years of probation beginning Monday.
“I think you earned a mitigated sentence,” Ferman addressed Groff, but added that he faces going to prison if he violates his probation. “If you violate the terms of your supervision, you will be back here, and I dare say it won’t be a pleasant situation.”
Ferman explained the mitigated sentence was appropriate given that Groff accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and then testified credibly for prosecutors at the September trial of two Pottstown men, Keith Michael Chaney, 26, of the unit block of North Charlotte Street, and Desmond Tyon Bennett, 32, of the 200 block of King Street, who were convicted by a jury of multiple charges including unlawful sale or transfer of firearms, conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with the gun trafficking organization.
Chaney and Bennett remain in the county jail while awaiting sentencing hearings later this year.
“I was involved in some bad things, drugs and guns, and hanging out with the wrong people. I learned a very hard lesson,” Groff, who had no prior criminal record, addressed Ferman while vowing to live a law-abiding life in the future.
Groff was one of nine men from Pottstown and Berks County who were arrested in July 2024 and linked to the gun trafficking organization that illegally obtained, manufactured and sold handguns, 3-D printed ghost guns, suppressors and switches.
Authorities charged nine men from Montgomery and Berks counties for alleged roles in a gun trafficking organization. (Photo courtesy Montgomery County District Attorney)
With the charges against Groff, prosecutors alleged he used a 3-D printer to manufacture machine gun conversion devices and suppressors, which he then delivered to others, including Chaney, for resale or illegal transfer to others.
Members of the organization referred to Groff as “Supercuts” due to his ability to print and fabricate various firearm components and accessories, according to court documents.
“By pleading guilty to possessing an instrument of crime, he admitted that he utilized the 3-D printer in a criminal manner to manufacture the suppressors and the machine gun conversion devices without the appropriate authority provided by the ATF,” Assistant District Attorney Robert Joseph Waeltz Jr. explained.
During the sentencing hearing, Waeltz acknowledged that Groff cooperated with law enforcement and testified truthfully during the Chaney and Bennett trial.
Defense lawyer Edward Joseph Rideout III argued for a mitigated sentence for Groff.
“The testimony he gave was impactful and very much appreciated by the Commonwealth. Not only did he do that, he did it well. It’s my understanding his testimony was very effective in getting convictions,” Rideout argued.
Several other members of the network previously pleaded guilty or no-contest to various charges related to their roles in the organization and are awaiting sentencing.
Members of the organization specialized in the acquisition and distribution of illegal firearms and used a variety of methods to achieve their objectives, including purchasing firearms and then illegally distributing them to others.
Authorities alleged the gun trafficking organization operated out of a storage unit in the 300 block of Laurel Street in Pottstown and residences where some of the defendants lived and manufactured the 3-D items at Groff’s residence in Earl Township.
“The organization specialized in the acquisition and distribution of illegal firearms to their customer base. They used a variety of methods to achieve this objective,” county Detective Drew Marino and Pottstown Detective Michael Damiano wrote in the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said some members of the corrupt organization acquired and distributed 31 illegal firearms. Guns were purchased at gun stores in eight counties, including Montgomery, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Lehigh, Wayne and Westmoreland.
At the time of the arrests, authorities said 17 of the 31 firearms purchased by the group were recovered, some during searches at the time of the arrests. But others were recovered during investigations of other criminal incidents, including a road rage incident in New Hanover.
Detectives used various investigative techniques to bust the organization, including analyzing cellphone data, analyzing social media posts, tracking multiple purchases of firearms by some of the defendants through the state’s Electronic Record of Sale system, reviewing copies of state and federal firearms purchase forms at gun stores and surveillance.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Violent Crime Unit and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force was assisted during the investigation by the following agencies: Pottstown Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Pennsylvania State Police; Berks County Detectives; the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Gun Violence Task Force; and numerous other police departments from Upper Merion, New Hanover, Exeter and Robeson townships, and the Borough of Birdsboro.