NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man who as a teenager was accused of being one of the ringleaders of a multi-county gun trafficking network that illegally obtained and sold 44 firearms using straw purchase schemes has admitted to his role in the organization.
Rahajahi Taylor Batchelor, now 19, of the 1100 block of Green Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a firearm by a minor and conspiracy in connection with incidents that occurred between March and August of 2020.
Judge Thomas C. Branca deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Batchelor. Branca said Batchelor will remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting his sentencing hearing, tentatively set for June.
The open guilty plea means Batchelor has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence. Batchelor potentially faces more than a decade in prison on the charges.
Batchelor was 17 when he was arrested in 2020 but given his alleged leadership role in the organization, prosecutors sought to transfer his case to adult criminal court where punishments can be more severe.
During a previous hearing, a judge ordered Batchelor to face the charges in adult court after prosecutors presented evidence of the severity and sophistication of Batchelor’s crimes and the impact of the crimes on the community of Norristown and the entire Philadelphia region.
The case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin.
Authorities said the gun trafficking organization operated in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties.
Batchelor was one of 14 people – nine adults and five juveniles – arrested in September 2020 in connection with the gun trafficking network.
“This 17-year-old was one of the ringleaders that orchestrated the straw purchases of 44 firearms by three adults and then illegally sold those firearms to people who could not legally buy firearms for themselves,” District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said in November 2020 when Batchelor was ordered to stand trial as an adult. “This defendant, along with his co-conspirators, has done a tremendous amount of damage to the safety of our community here in Montgomery County and in the greater southeastern Pennsylvania region.”
At the time of the arrests in September 2020, Steele alleged the organization’s “sole purpose is to make money by putting firearms in the hands of people who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns.”
Authorities alleged the gun trafficking organization was led by Batchelor, Terrence Barker, 21, of Philadelphia, and Mikal Scott, 19, of the 7900 block of Rolling Green Road, Cheltenham. Barker and Scott are still awaiting trial on corrupt organization and related charges.
Earlier this year, Anthony Jamaris McCrary, 26, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to charges he purchased 35 firearms via straw purchases at federally licensed gun dealers in the three counties between July and August 2020 on behalf of the gun trafficking network led by Batchelor, Barker and Scott. McCrary is awaiting sentencing.
A straw purchase occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. Those who are unable to legally purchase firearms include convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles and mentally ill individuals.
The organization had multiple members performing a variety of roles, including purchasing and marketing or sales of the firearms, detectives alleged.
Authorities previously revealed only some of the 44 firearms had been recovered, including one that was linked to a shooting incident in Cheltenham and another seized during a traffic stop of a juvenile in Abington.
The investigation began on Aug. 9, 2020, when county detectives were routinely reviewing paperwork related to multiple gun purchases by individuals and noticed McCrary’s purchases of a large number of guns from licensed dealers, according to court papers.
The following day, on Aug. 10, Norristown police responded to a shooting incident involving a 17-year-old male and a search of the residence where the shooting occurred uncovered two gun boxes that had been purchased on the day of the shooting by McCrary, who did not live at the residence. Neither gun had been reported stolen, indicating a possible straw purchase, authorities alleged.
Investigators subsequently learned that McCrary sometimes visited more than one gun store in a day and bought multiple firearms at the same time, according to court documents.
The investigation used surveillance, cellphone and social media analysis, search warrants and reviews of federal firearms forms to uncover the participants in the organization, according to court papers.
The Electronic Record of Sale system, part of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Track and Trace Initiative, was a key tool used by investigators to track the organization’s illegal firearms purchases.
The investigation was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit and the Norristown Police Department.
