BATF engaged in entrapment

A 48-year-old man was arrested Monday at his residence and charged with possessing a fully automatic rifle in a joint sting operation conducted by the Honolulu Police Department's Career Criminal Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms.

A federal criminal complaint charges Randy Imoto of 3024 Seaview Rise in Woodlawn with possessing a converted fully automatic SGW Model XM-15 A1 .223-caliber machine gun. He is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service until a hearing tomorrow before Magistrate Leslie Kobayashi.

This one is interesting for a number of reasons. For one, the BATF claims they uncovered the following in their search of the man's apartment (it is unclear on what authority they conducted the search):

• A handgun
• ammunition
• "drug paraphernalia"
• "child pornography"

Somehow, I have trouble believing their search warrant specified child pornography or drug paraphernalia, but they make a great way to demonize the suspect, yes?

They also claim that the individual was willing to trade two commonplace, stolen handguns for a machine gun. Somehow, that seems like a deal that's just too good to be true -- read, bait.