Boy, 17, Arrested in Alleged Gun-Selling Effort : Weapons: Deputies say the Simi Valley youth turned himself in and told investigators that he helped set up a deal to sell $6,000 worth of automatic arms.

A 17-year-old Simi Valley boy was arrested Friday after admitting to authorities that he helped a Ventura County gun-show promoter set up a deal to sell automatic weapons to an undercover officer, authorities said.

The teen-ager turned himself in to Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators working out of the Simi Valley Police Department after learning that authorities were looking for him, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Palmieri.

The suspect, who was accompanied to the police station by his uncle, was booked on suspicion of solicitation to sell automatic weapons and transferred to Ventura County Juvenile Hall, Palmieri said.

Palmieri said the suspect told investigators that he helped Steven Robert Breitel, also of Simi Valley, arrange a deal to sell six machine guns for $6,000 to an undercover officer.

“He said Breitel had been pushing him to talk to the undercover officer to get the deal done,” Palmieri said. Breitel used the teen-ager to solicit the sale because he knew the young boy probably would get nothing more than “a slap on his hands” if caught, Palmieri said.

Although the juvenile had served as a go-between for Breitel, Palmieri said, Breitel also had spoken with the undercover officer about the gun deal. He said the last time Breitel talked to the officer was on Monday.

At that time, Palmieri said, Breitel told the officer that the deal was off because he had found another buyer. Palmieri said that investigators later learned from a reliable source that Breitel was going to sell the guns to the Crips street gang in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday morning, sheriff’s deputies raided Breitel’s house, arresting him and four others, including his 21-year-old daughter, Rebecca. The younger Breitel was booked on suspicion of possessing stolen property and later released on her own recognizance pending further investigation.

During the raid, authorities confiscated 48 weapons, including numerous automatic assault rifles, believed to be destined for the Crips.

Others arrested Tuesday include Daniel Lee Martin, 19, of Van Nuys; David Andrew Muskeini, 22, of Simi Valley, and Sean Allen Fein, 23, of Granada Hills. The men, including Breitel, are being held on suspicion of possessing machine guns and conspiracy to sell machine guns. Each is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

The four are expected to be arraigned in Ventura County Municipal Court on Tuesday, officials with the district attorney’s office said.

Los Angeles County authorities decided Ventura County was the appropriate jurisdiction for the case because it is where the arrests took place, Palmieri said.

Authorities also had considered turning the case over to the U.S. attorney’s office, but government officials declined to take the case because search warrants for Breitel’s house and business office were issued by state judges.

Palmieri said it is still possible that federal charges could be brought against Breitel for bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion. Breitel was discharged from more than $300,000 in debts on Aug. 30 by a state bankruptcy court, but did not declare the assets seized in Tuesday’s raid, which included a dozen vehicles.