Information and Alerts

Government Actions

State of Washington v Federal Way Discount Guns, LLC and Mohammed Baghai individually and as part of the marital community comprised of Mohammed Baghai and Anna L Baghai

The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

On February 6, 2024, in the State of Washington Superior Court, the State of Washington and Federal Way Discount Guns, LLC; Mohammed Baghai individually and as a part of the marital community comprised of Mohammed Baghai and Anna L. Baghai entered into a Consent Decree ordering Federal Way Discount Guns and its owner, Mohammed Baghai to pay $3 million for violating Washington’s prohibition on selling high-capacity magazines with the capacity to hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. Federal Way Discount Guns must pay the $3 million within 30 days.

King County Superior Court Judge Wyman Yip already ruled in April that Federal Way Discount Guns and Baghai violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by selling high-capacity magazines after a state law went into effect prohibiting their sale. Today’s consent decree, filed in King County Superior Court, resolves the remainder of the case.

The Attorney General’s investigation found that the store sold 3,625 high-capacity magazines between the date the law went into effect — July 1, 2022 — and when the Attorney General filed his lawsuit later that year. During that timeframe, the store also displayed large numbers of high-capacity magazines for public sale, which is also against the law. The store continued to illegally sell high-capacity magazines for a month after the suit was filed. It sold another 246 high-capacity magazines before the Attorney General then won a preliminary injunction barring Federal Way Discount Guns from continuing to sell them.

The consent decree also bars Federal Way Discount Guns and its owners or employees from selling, offering for sale, or facilitating the distribution of high-capacity magazines in the future.

Since the lawsuit was filed, Baghai sold Federal Way Discount Guns to his son, Andrew. Baghai and his wife have retired to Nevada, where they have real estate holdings, according to court filings.

Baghai has significant real estate holdings, including the land under Federal Way Discount Guns, as well as investment properties in Washington and Nevada, according to court filings. Baghai recently sold a number of real estate assets, netting more than $5.3 million, filings state. His properties in Nevada are worth more than $5 million.

Ferguson filed the lawsuit in December of 2022 against Baghai and his store for illegally selling high-capacity magazines in violation of the ban on the sale of such products in Washington.

As of July 2022, it is illegal under Washington state law to manufacture, distribute, sell, or offer for sale magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Any violation of the high-capacity magazine ban also constitutes a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.

The Federal Way case was part of a larger sweep conducted by Attorney General’s Office investigators, who visited a variety of gun retailers in counties across the state: King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Yakima, Kittitas, Benton and Spokane.

Over a four-month period, investigators visited Federal Way Discount Guns four separate times to purchase high-capacity magazines. The investigators discovered that the store openly displayed dozens of high-capacity magazines for sale. During each sale made to an Attorney General investigator, the sales clerk destroyed the sales receipt or made comments to the investigator indicating they knew the sale of the magazines was unlawful.

In one instance, a salesclerk told an investigator that “it’s the nature of the beast” but that he couldn’t provide a receipt because the magazines held “more than 10 rounds.” The salesclerk then crumpled up the sales receipt that was automatically generated from the cash register and threw it in the garbage.

During another visit, the store’s owner, Baghai, personally sold a 30-round magazine for an AR-15 style rifle and a 33-round magazine for a Glock 17 pistol to the investigator and threw the store copy of the receipt into the garbage.

Investigators were able to purchase nine high-capacity magazines from the store over the course of these visits:

• A 50-round drum magazine
  two 30-round magazines for an AR-15 style rifle
  A 33-round magazine for a Glock 17 pistol
  A 22-round Glock pistol magazine
  A 19-round magazine for a Glock 19 pistol
  A 17-round magazine for a Glock 17 pistol
  A 17-round magazine for a Glock 19 pistol
  A 17-round magazine for a Sig Sauer P229 pistol

Through the litigation, the Attorney General’s office also learned that they sold these magazines after being warned by multiple firearm distributors that it was unlawful to sell them in Washington.

For more information, please contact the Washington State Attorney General’s Office at https://www.atg.wa.gov/ or (360) 753-6200.