Former Boston cop convicted of illegally buying guns for pals, lying about it

A federal jury today convicted Adarbaad Karani, 38, of West Roxbury, of lying about buying police-grade guns for friends - one of which wound up in the possession of a member of a notorious Dorchester gang.

The US Attorney's office in Boston reports Karani will be sentenced on Dec. 10; he faces up to ten years in prison.

The jury, sitting in Boston, convicted him of two counts of making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and two counts of making a false statement in a record, following a five-day trial, the US Attorney's office reports. He had been indicted on the charges last year.

On two different occasions, in November 2014 and September 2015, Karani acted as the “straw purchaser” of two firearms, a Glock, model 27, .40 caliber pistol and a Glock, model 30S, .45 caliber pistol, which he purchased for two acquaintances. Karani purchased the firearms, which cannot be acquired by civilians, using his police identification and falsely certified that the firearms were for his official police use. During one purchase, Karani also indicated that the firearm was not for resale.

Straw purchases interfere with firearm regulation and recordkeeping, and federal law prohibits making false statements to a firearms dealer in connection with the sale of a firearm.

Karani resigned as a Boston police officer in November, 2016, a year after police found one of the guns he allegedly bought in the possession of Desmond Crawford, whom the feds charge is a member of the Columbia Point Dawgs, a violent gang that started in the old Columbia Point housing project.