NC state trooper sentenced to 3 years in prison for illegally dealing firearms

A North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to dealing firearms without a license.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused Timothy Jay Norman, 47, from Browns Summit, of selling firearms to various people, including a convicted felon, while he was employed as a state trooper.

He used the convicted felon as a "middle man," according to the FBI, to distribute decommissioned NCSHP service weapons.

A confidential source purchased a gun from Norman, which is how he was eventually caught, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release.

Among the guns illegally distributed were semi-automatic rifles.

During a search of Norman's home, federal agents seized over 50 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Norman was sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and will face three years of supervised release once released from prison.