Ex-Pasadena, Torrance Police Officer Given Probation for Illegal Gun Sales

A man who worked as a police officer in Pasadena and Torrance was given a probationary sentence Thursday for selling dozens of guns illegally.

Lindley Hupp was sentenced to three years’ probation with the condition that he perform 10 hours of community service per week for nine months, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hupp, 32, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty in December to dealing in firearms without a federal license and falsely certifying that he was the buyer of a Glock handgun that actually was intended for someone else.

Prosecutors said Lindley Hupp, 32, of Long Beach, illegally sold two firearms in 2011 when he was an auxiliary officer with the Pasadena police force and at least 48 firearms during an 8 1/2-year period while working with the Torrance Police Department.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hupp agreed last November to plead guilty to a two-count federal indictment which contained two charges: Engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and making a false statement in a federal firearm licensee’s records during the purchase of a firearm.

Law enforcement officers are permitted to buy what are known as “off roster” guns that people without a badge can’t buy directly from a licensed dealer. Thirty-six of the 48 guns Hupp sold were “off roster” arms, federal prosecutors said.

The government has agreed to recommend a prison sentence of not more than 18 months, but the ultimate decision belongs to the judge, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.