News brief: Prison for Olympia man follows gun show sales investigation

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 70-year-old Olympia man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today for unlawfully dealing in firearms in a case that began at a Centralia gun show.

David Devenny, who reportedly sold a gun that a week later was used to kill Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton in 2009, was also fined $12,850 and will get three years of supervision after his release, according to the U.S. Attorney’ Office.

“Defendant lined his pockets by funneling guns to criminals, and others paid the heavy price for his actions,” U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan stated in a news release. “Those who ignore laws that are meant to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and children take heed.”

Davenny was arrested in November 2010 after selling guns to a convicted felon and a person with a domestic violence conviction, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

He came to the attention of law enforcement who conducted undercover purchases at guns shows in Western Washington.

He pleaded guilty previously to unlawfully dealing in firearms and two counts of selling a firearm to a prohibited person, according to the news release.

Prosecutors in asking for a significant sentence noted that for eight years Davenny dealt countless guns illegally and “flooded the streets with untraceable firearms,” according to the news release.

He was sentenced in Tacoma today by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle, who called Davenny’s behavior “cavalier.”
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For background, read “Man’s arrest for illegal firearms sales follows undercover operation at Centralia gun show” from Saturday Nov 20 2010, here

And, “Undercover purchases at Centralia and other gun shows lead to four federal indictments” from Monday May 2, 2011, here

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 19th, 2012 at 9:27 pm and is filed under News briefs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “News brief: Prison for Olympia man follows gun show sales investigation”

  1. just somebody says:
    Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 7:59 am

    i can see where if he was doing this for years he should have been licensed and used the NICS program when selling a gun, BUT…. at gun shows you don’t have to be licensed or do any paper work long as what your selling is your own personal collection.

  2. Joe says:
    Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    He must be related to Eric Holder.