COLUMBUS, Ohio - A firearms dealer from Canfield who the government accused of taking part in a scheme to illegally sell 60 high-powered, military-grade, 50 caliber rifles to buyers in Mexico has pleaded guilty to one of the charges he faced.

During a hearing in U.S. District Court on Friday, Paul A. Groves pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm.

According to an indictment, Groves possessed an unregistered MK19 MOD-1, 40mm caliber machine gun.

The government dropped its prosecution of Groves on one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

When he's sentenced in three or four months, Groves could face as much as two years in prison, according to prosecutors.

The indictment alleged that Groves, who operated High Powered Armory in Youngstown, provided false information in the purchase of firearms to fraudulently purchase military-grade weapons and resell them to illegal purchasers, who then resold them to Mexican buyers.

Co-defendant Eric L. Grimes, 47, of Columbus, operated Great Machine, LLC in Hilliard, Ohio, pleaded guilty earlier to engaging in the firearms business without a license.

While High Powered Armory was a federal firearms licensee, Great Machine was not, say prosecutors.

In January 2015, Groves applied to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to license Great Machine as a secondary location for High Powered Armory.

According to the indictment, a group of six people in Indiana conspired to fraudulently acquire firearms from licensees for the purpose of transferring those firearms to illegal purchasers in Mexico.

Groves allegedly negotiated with members of the Indiana group for the purchases of high-powered rifles that were then sold to buyers from Mexico who paid extremely high, marked-up prices.

For example, on January 28, 2015, Grimes accepted more than $48,000 in cash at Great Machine at the instruction of Groves and on his behalf as payment for the anticipated purchase of rifles, said investigators. Groves then transferred the weapons to members of the Indiana group at High Powered Armory a few weeks later. According to the indictment, the Indiana individuals then drove to McAllen, Texas, and re-sold them to buyers from Mexico.

Gun Envy, LLC on Indianola Avenue in Columbus, was allegedly used as a meeting location on at least one occasion.

The Youngstown purchases included Barrett M82 .50 caliber rifles and Gun Envy Mk46 .223 caliber belt-fed semiautomatic rifles, according to the indictment.

The indictment does not identify who received the guns in Mexico, or how the weapons were used.

The government's General Accountability Office reported to Congress in 1999 that .50 caliber semiautomatic rifles have been used in domestic and international criminal activity, including terrorist groups, outlaw motorcycle gangs, international drug cartels, domestic drug dealers, religious cults, militia groups, potential assassins, and violent criminals.

In September 2018, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives searched Grove's Canfield home at 5638 South Raccoon Road.