U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea from Shiprock Woman in Straw Purchase Case
February 12, 2025
Shiprock, New Mexico – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez announced today that a Shiprock woman has pleaded guilty to a federal straw purchase charge involving the illegal purchase of three firearms.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on three separate occasions, between April 2023 and January 2024, Vernell Charley, 32, purchased firearms for another individual who was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction. Charley admitted that she falsely stated on the ATF Form 4473, Firearms Transaction Record, that she was the actual buyer of the firearms.
Charley purchased two of the firearms from a licensed firearms dealer in Aztec, New Mexico, and the third firearm from a licensed firearms dealer in Gallup, New Mexico.
The intended recipient of the firearms was later identified as a convicted felon.
Charley pleaded guilty on February 10, 2025 to one count of making a false and fictitious statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is prosecuting the case.
Background
A straw purchase is when someone who is legally allowed to buy a firearm purchases it for someone who is prohibited from doing so. Straw purchases are illegal under federal law and can be prosecuted as felonies.
The ATF investigates straw purchases as part of its overall mission to prevent the illegal possession of firearms and reduce violent crime.
Contact:
Kyle T. Nayback Assistant U.S. Attorney (505) 346-6598 kyle.nayback@usdoj.gov
U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea from Shiprock Woman in Straw Purchase Case
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