Gun dealer who sold over a dozen firearms in Macon sentenced
A man who once served the community and built houses for homeless people in Middle Georgia will serve 15 years in prison for trafficking firearms.
John Cato was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty last November to trafficking firearms .
He was caught in a sting led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in which he sold 13 guns to an informant for more than $13,000.
Before he got involved in selling firearms — Judge Marc Treadwell noted he had sold more guns than Bass Pro Shops — Cato had a challenging upbringing.
His family said in court that he was committed to helping the community in any way he could, despite those challenges.
His public defender, Faith Mote, played a 2018 video from local news outlet 13WMAZ in which Cato was featured as one of 11 students from Dublin High School who were building tiny homes for the homeless population in Middle Georgia.
However, Cato became enticed by the quick money that comes with selling firearms, Mote said.
As a result, Cato missed the birth of his child and, because of his prison sentence , will be absent for most of the baby’s life.
He apologized to his family, friends and the community he once helped, acknowledging he made a bad decision.
Though Cato wants to change his life around, his actions showed otherwise, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Couch said.
How Cato was caught
The ATF began investigating Cato after a confidential informant, who was a felon, came forward to report that Cato attempted to sell them guns, court records showed. Legally, the informant could not possess a firearm.
The informant made controlled buys between April and June 2025 at the direction of the ATF in the parking lot of a Macon restaurant, and the conversations the informant had with Cato were monitored via body transmitter and audio/video recording.
The ATF retrieved 13 guns from Cato that were worth more than $13,000, court records showed.
Cato was arrested by ATF agents and other law enforcement on July 9, 2025.
