gun running with a twist

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D.C. Police Recruit Faces Gun Plot Indictment By Andrew DeMillo and Martin WeilWashington Post Staff WritersWednesday, November 21, 2001; Page B02 A D.C. police recruit has been indicted on a charge of conspiring to buy pistols and bring them into the Washingtonarea, authorities said last night.Justin Johnson, who is in his early twenties, was arrested Friday at the D.C. police academy, officials said. Therecruit, who was in his third month of training, has been dismissed from the department, according to D.C. ExecutiveAssistant Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer.Johnson appeared Friday in U.S. District Court, where he pleaded not guilty, his attorney, Thomas Abbenante, saidlast night."He denies all the charges," Abbenante said. Abbenante said Johnson is accused of involvement in an effort to purchase about 20 handguns in Georgia and bringthem into the area.Gainer said the arrest stemmed from an investigation conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco andFirearms. Two other people -- neither of them an officer -- also have been charged as a result of the investigation, authoritiessaid. The ATF is investigating "numerous" other alleged conspirators, an official said last night.Gainer said Johnson had about four months' training to complete before earning the right to wear a badge and carry agun."He had no access to police weapons," Gainer said. "He had no arrest powers. He had no badge. He had no gun."Gainer said that after learning of the charge, police officials looked into their methods of screening candidates for theforce. He said it did not appear that anything had been overlooked.Johnson did not come under investigation until after he entered the D.C. police academy, an ATF official said."He's just one person out of 3,600," Gainer said last night. "We've got a good force." c 2001 The Washington Post Company