CLEVELAND ‒ An 80-year-old North Canton man will be sentenced Nov. 10 for smuggling guns to Greece.
George Manuselis pleaded guilty on July 30 in U.S. District Court to a single count of smuggling goods from the United States. As part of a negotiated plea agreement, six other charges accusing him of smuggling or lying to buy firearms were dropped.
Judge Dan A. Polster said the range of possible sentences is from three years and 10 months to four years and nine months. The maximum punishment is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Manuselis’ penalty will be less than the maximum because he admitted to the crime and has a clean record.
The judge ordered a presentence investigation to check into the defendant’s background and confirm that he has no criminal record.
The judge said that as part of the plea agreement, Manuselis consented to the forfeiture of electronic devices, firearms and ammunition. Five pistols, 950 rounds of ammunition and $56,712 in cash were seized from Manuselis at the time of his Jan. 8 arrest in Brooklyn, New York.
Jeffrey Lazarus, a public defender representing Manuselis, said the disposition of the cash remains in litigation.
Manuselis was assisted in court by a Greek interpreter. Through the interpreter, he answered the judge’s questions. He said he is a U.S. citizen and acknowledged that he was giving up his right to a trial.
At Lazarus’ request, Polster released Manuselis from the requirement to wear an ankle monitor. The defense attorney said the location monitoring device had caused skin irritation. Polster told Manuselis to continue complying with terms of his release, such as continuing to live with his brother.
Manuselis, also known as George Manouselis, was arrested while on his way to Greece. A federal grand jury indicted him in January on two counts of smuggling goods from the U.S. and five counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He was accused of buying guns from a Stark County sporting goods store and selling them in Greece.
Federal authorities began to investigate in early 2025 after several guns purchased in Stark County were recovered in Greece, as well as information about Manuselis’ arrest there in 2022.
Gun laws in that European country are more strict than in the U.S.
In a court affidavit, an ATF agent stated Manuselis may have been selling guns in Greece for the past 17 years.
The agent presented a spreadsheet documenting the North Canton man’s alleged purchases of more than 40 guns from Fin Feather Fur Outfitters in the Belden Village area, and coinciding trips to Greece.
In the affidavit, the agent wrote that Manuselis was interviewed at his home on Dec. 11, 2025, a day after he tried to buy eight guns. During that session, he allegedly admitted selling guns in Greece for about $3,000 each, court records indicate.
“Manuselis said that he had taken about nine firearms to Greece,” the agent stated in the records.
The agent wrote that Manuselis kept insisting that “he had a license but it appeared to be an expired concealed carry permit, not a license which permitted him to export firearms.”
At that point, the agent said Manuselis agreed to sign a warning letter. It explained such “straw purchases” are against the law. The agent stated that he also told the man it is illegal to sell guns or take them to Greece.
However, that same afternoon, a Fin Feather Fur Outfitters representative phoned the agent to say Manuselis was inside the store and attempting to buy a Glock 9 mm pistol, court records show.
Also, on that same day, Homeland Security notified the agent that Manuselis had booked a Jan. 8, 2026, flight from Cleveland to New York, then subsequent flights to Amsterdam and Athens, Greece.
According to the agent’s affidavit, Manuselis went to the same sporting goods store three more times and bought four more handguns — all during the weeks between receiving the warning letter and his scheduled flights.
The facts to which Manuselis admitted are contained in the plea agreement he signed on July 30. The agreement has not been made public.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 80-year-old North Canton man admits smuggling guns to Greece
Reporting by Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
