Man arrested, charged with selling counterfeit weapons & gun parts at Whiteville gun store

A Columbus County man is in jail Saturday after the state said he sold counterfeit weapons and accessories at his gun store in Whiteville.

2026-05-16

According to North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, the state and the Columbus County Sheriff's Office seized several counterfeit items from North State Armory on South Madison Street. Some of the seized items included counterfeit gunsights, knives and arm braces bearing counterfeit branding of the following:

• Sig.
• Sauer.
• Leupold.
• Aimpont.
• EOTech.
• Microtech.

The state said the retail value of the goods is more than $7,000. Marshall said that knock-off gunsights frequently have lower-quality glass and plastic that can shatter and seriously damage the user's eyes.

“Counterfeit optical sights have the potential to cause serious safety issues, so it is urgent that customers who believe they may have purchased counterfeit goods from this store reach out to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office," Marshall said. 

Marshall added that the products could have been made with hazardous materials that could cause long-term health issues.

John Phillip McPherson III, 41, was arrested and charged with felony criminal use of a counterfeit trademark, three counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses and three counts of attempted obtaining property by false pretenses.