World | Tue May 17, 2016 3:43pm EDT

Former Connecticut gun executive sentenced to probation, fine

The former owner of a Connecticut gun manufacturer was sentenced on Tuesday to serve two years probation and pay a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty in federal court to having unregistered machine guns and machine-gun components at his New Britain factory.

Mark Malkowski, who resigned as president of Stag Arms LLC as part of his plea deal with prosecutors, agreed to have no further role in the firearms industry for violating U.S. laws requiring serial numbers on gun components.

Malkowski sold Stag, which makes weapons including the AR-15 rifle, to Miami-based private equity firm White Wolf Capital in February for an undisclosed sum. Stag, which had to apply for a new firearms license as a result of the sale, was sentenced to pay a $500,000 fine.

"This is the first time nationwide that a major firearms manufacturer has been convicted of a felony and had its license revoked, effectively forcing the company to be sold to new owners," Deirdre Daly, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said in a statement. "Stag displayed a systemic and egregious disregard of federal firearms regulations."

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