CRANSTON — City police and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Cranston gun dealer Anthony Mancini yesterday on charges of falsifying firearm purchasing records.

Mancini, who owns Continental Gun Engraving on Park Avenue, allegedly sold guns to undercover male federal agents three times in recent months and allowed a female companion — also an undercover agent — to sign forms stating that she was the actual buyer.

The charge is selling firearms without proper record keeping, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mancini appeared before Magistrate Judge David L. Martin in U.S. District Court in Providence yesterday afternoon and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, according to Thomas Connell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in Rhode Island.

Mancini can continue to sell guns under the terms of his release, Connell said, but must report the identities of prospective buyers to the federal government.

According to an ATF affidavit, male and female undercover agents entered Mancini’s shop Oct. 22.

The man bought a .357-caliber handgun and a box of ammunition for $283. But the woman signed an ATF form claiming that she was the buyer.

On Nov. 9, an undercover male Drug Enforcement Administration agent allegedly paid Mancini $316 for a 9mm pistol, with the female ATF agent again signing a form stating that she had purchased the weapon.

According to the affidavit, the undercover DEA agent bought a second gun for $202 that day and Mancini did not require him to complete a federal firearms purchasing form.

The DEA agent visited Mancini’s store again Nov. 26, according to the affidavit, and told Mancini that he was a convicted felon but wanted to purchase a gun.

He later bought a 357-Magnum revolver for $347, with the female undercover agent signing a form stating that she was the purchaser.

Federal law prohibits felons from purchasing or possessing firearms.

Connell said he did not know Mancini’s age or hometown.

dscharfe@projo.com