A Wheeling man has been named in a federal conspiracy and weapons complaint alleging he illegally shipped firearms and stun guns to three  continents. 

Michael Frank, 25, of Wheeling, is currently free on bond, but is subject to electronic monitoring at his Wheeling home. 

According to a federal criminal complaint dated July 16, Frank conspired to illegally export guns and possessed guns from which serial  numbers had been removed.

The complaint includes testimony from a special agent from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a special agent from the Bureau of  Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The investigation began on May 22, when Israeli officials in Jerusalem intercepted a package sent from a fictious Wheeling address.  The  parcel contained part of a handgun from which the serial number had been removed.

Using credit card records, postal inspectors traced the package to Frank.  The same credit card was used to make a $556.34 purchase at a  Martins Ferry gun store.  Homeland Security officials said neither Frank nor the recipient in Israel had a license for the gun.

ATF records showed that Frank had made more than 20 handgun purchases in the Wheeling area since March 2012.

Postal officials said Frank had sent several international express packages, also using fictitious names and addresses.

On June 21, 2012, an employee of the Wheeling post office reported that a person had mailed two international express mail parcels to  England. The person sending those parcels was seen leaving the post office in a car registered to Frank.

A postal inspector verified the two express mail parcels sent on June 21 were marked with fictitious return addresses.  According to the  complaint, the postal inspector pulled additional mailings which appeared "to be associated either by names used in the mailings, similar  handwriting, fictitious return addresses used, or contents listed on the customs declarations."

Those labels included packages sent to various addresses in the United Kingdom and Canada.

On June 25, investigators said they saw Frank leaving a UPS store in Wheeling after sending out four letters with the same fictitious  Wheeling address. 

On June 29, postal workers contacted the postal inspector to report that Frank had sent three "suspicious international parcels" again using  different aliases.  Customs forms listed the contents of the packages as cellphones and a flashlight.  However, inspectors found the  packages contained stun guns disguised as cellphones and an expandable baton designed to deliver an electric shock.

On July 5, a postal inspector reported he had intercepted a FedEx parcel sent to Frank from Canada.  The parcel contained 20 $100 bills.  The  inspector recorded the serial numbers on the bills and resealed the package for delivery to Frank.

The following day, Frank used 11 of those $100 bills to buy two Glock handguns from a Wheeling gun store.  Investigators said Frank,  again using a fictitious address, mailed two guns to Canada.  When they intercepted and opened those packages, they found two handguns that  "appeared new," but that the serial numbers had again been obliterated.

A woman answering Frank's published home telephone number declined comment and referred questions to defense attorney Jay McCamic.

McCamic did not immediately return NEWS9's call for a comment.

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