A ring that funneled more than 2,000 guns from Alabama to New York relied on lax Southern firearms laws to illegally distribute weapons that were used in crimes in 11 states, a federal agent said Friday.

A brother and sister were indicted this week as the final links in an alleged conspiracy to ship weapons to New York, where they were resold. Fifteen people have already pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges.Of 2,135 weapons unlawfully sold by two Birmingham-area shops, 901 were later involved in crimes or seized by police, said Special Agent Jim Cavanaugh of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

William "Bill" Dollar and his sister, Connie Jean Dollar, former gun-shop owners in Birmingham, were freed on bond following their arrest Tuesday on charges they funneled weapons across the country.

Their lawyer, Al Bowen, did not return a call seeking comment.

A nine-count indictment unsealed this week in Birmingham accused them of falsifying gun sale records and knowingly supplying guns to illegal firearms traffickers.

From 1990 to 1994, the Dollars concealed the identities of people who bought guns from their gun shop, Traders and Traders Two, by using "straw purchasers," the indictment said.

A straw purchaser is usually paid up to several hundred dollars to visit gun stores, make the buys and then turn the guns over to the real buyer.

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