Man Faces 25 Years In Prison For Gun Traffiking, Child Porn In Bucks Co.

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 12 ½ to 25 years in state prison for illegally trafficking 13 firearms and possessing child pornography, authorities said.

Jermaine Bantum, 36, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to 68 felony counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, making false statements on firearm purchase forms, illegal sales of a firearm, illegal sales of firearms to an ineligible transferee, and criminal conspiracy.

The investigation into the illegal gun operation also led to the discovery of child pornography on his phone, authorities said.

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said that one of the guns was later used in a homicide in Philadelphia.

Bantum was sentenced on Monday before Common Pleas Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. In addition to the state prison sentence on the gun case, Bateman also sentenced Bantum to 12 months of probation and ordered him to register as a sex offender for 15 years.

Authorities said Bantum was involved in selling and transferring at least 13 handguns between 2018 and 2023.

Purchases were first made at gun shops in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. Authorities said 10 handguns were then bought in Lower Southampton Township, Warminster Township, Chalfont, and Bristol Township.

One firearm was recovered during a domestic disturbance in Upper Darby Township, and an analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) found that it was used in a homicide in Philadelphia on Aug. 23, 2022, 82 days after it was purchased by Bantum, authoritis said.

During the investigation, detectives seized his cellphone, and he provided consent for them to search it. A forensic examination of the cellphone led to the discovery of 77 photo and video files that contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM), authorities said.