BOISE – Jennifer Ann Hillyard, 28, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Boise to one count of transferring an unregistered, sawed-off shotgun, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, read in open court today, Hillyard admitted that on February 24, 2011, she knowingly and unlawfully transferred a sawed-off Smith & Wesson 12-gauge shotgun to another person. Hillyard further admitted that she and a co-defendant sold the sawed-off shotgun, and a second shotgun with an obliterated serial number, for $150 at her co-defendant's residence in Caldwell, Idaho. Both firearms are subject to forfeiture.

The charge of transferring an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for June 12, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force, a task force comprised of local and federal law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley. It is being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho, and housed in the Canyon County Prosecutor's Office, to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership comprises a group of elected officials in southeast Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.