Mixed martial artist and budding reality television star, Mavrick Wesley Von Haug, 54, alongside Cristian Briton, 30, were arrested in connection to the Sept. 8 raid on Von Haug’s gym on the 100 block of West 1st Street in San Pedro and an address in the 17000 block of Western Avenue in Gardena.
Von Haug was charged with manufacturing assault weapons, while Briton was charged with violating a penal code that makes it illegal for a nonimmigrant alien to ship in interstate or foreign commerce. Nonimmigrant aliens are lawfully admitted people who are not lawful permanent residents, such as tourists, students, business travelers, and temporary workers who enter the U.S. for fixed periods of time.
The search warrant was the result of an investigation by RIFTT (The Regional Illegal Firearms Trafficking Team) where a foreign national had attempted to illegally export 11 ghost guns, two of which were assault weapons and three silencers. RIFTT is a task force comprised of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gang and Narcotics Division.
As a result of the search warrant, the task force recovered approximately 200 ghost gun frames, handgun slides, two assault weapons, a rifle, firearms magazines, ammunition, and numerous parts and tools for manufacturing ghost guns.
Recognized for his facial tattoos, Von Haug purchased the warehouse facility on First and Palos Verdes Street around 2009 and opened Mavrick’s Ultimate Training Center. Von Haug also has a facility on 619 Mesa Street. Both have been closed since the start of the pandemic.