August 1, 2007 - United States Attorney Patrick L. Meehan today announced the filing of a three count indictment* charging that between February 1, 2007 and February 24, 2007, Jill Burns made false statements to a federal firearms licensee (“FFL”). The rules and regulations governing FFL holders require that a person seeking to purchase a handgun fill out a “Firearms Transaction Record,” ATF Form 4473. Part of the Form 4473 requires that the prospective purchaser certify truthfully, subject to penalties of perjury, that he or she was the actual buyer of the firearm. The Form 4473 contains language warning that “[t]he federal firearms laws require that the individual filling out this form must be buying the firearm for himself or as a gift. Any individual who is not buying the firearm for himself/herself or as a gift, but who completes this form, violates the law.” A person who purchases a firearm for another person and falsely completes the Form 4473 is a “straw purchaser.” Acting as a straw purchaser is referred to as “lying and buying.”
DEFENDANT |
|
AGE [Date of Birth] |
Jill Burns |
Philadelphia, PA |
22 years old |
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is part of Project
Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative by the United States Attorney’s Office,
Philadelphia County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (“ICE”) and Philadelphia City Police Department to
identify and prosecute firearms offenders in federal court, where the defendant
is likely to receive a substantial sentence upon conviction. The case has
been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Marianne Cox.
UNITED
STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE |
Contact: |
*An Indictment or Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Benjamin Franklin Photo by B. Krist for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation