Former reality star Richard Wyatt, 53, has been convicted of felony conspiracy and tax evasion. The former reality star of “American Guns” was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy and eight charges of tax evasion after an 11-day trial. The jury was left in a deadlock, unable to decide how on three charges of dealing weapons without a license.
“American Guns” was a Discovery Channel reality television series that aired from 2011 through 2012. The show followed the Wyatt family including patriarch Richard, his wife Renee, and step-children as they ran the family store, Gunsmoke Guns, in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. “American Guns” was canceled after just 26 episodes and the Watt family fell into a variety of legal troubles.
In 2009 Wyatt lost his federal firearms license, but continued negotiations with Discovery Channel for a reality television series focused on his family gun store. Although he briefly regained a license, he surrendered his FFL in 2012 due to multiple violations. According to court documents, Wyatt advised employees to mark gun sales as “miscellaneous” in their store records.
In 2015, Richard Wyatt was arrested for theft after being investigated for selling weapons without a FFL and for failing to file his taxes. He was arrested again in February, 2016 and charged with multiple felonies after failing to report $1.1 million of income.
Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Debora Livingston said “the laws and regulations surrounding the sale of firearms exist for a reason, and no one is above the law. ATF is committed to ensuring every gun dealer is appropriately licensed, educated and inspected, and we will investigate those who believe the rules do not apply to them.”
Wyatt now faces up to 18 years in prison and $700,000 in fines.