Ada Woman Sentenced To 36 Months Probation For False Statement In Acquisition Of A Firearm

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Reagan Sydney Clark, age 22, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 3 years’ probation for False Statement In Acquisition Of A Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(a)(6) and 924(a)(1)(A). The charges arose from an investigation by the Ada Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Indictment alleged that on November 30, 2018, the defendant knowingly made a false and fictitious statement intended and likely to deceive Gunrunners, a licensed dealer of firearms within the meaning of Chapter 44, Title 18, United States Code, as to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of a Walther, Model CCP, 9x19mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, serial number WK066579, a firearm under Chapter 44 of Title 18, in that the defendant represented she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm.

Cases like this are sometimes referred to as “lie and buy” or “straw purchase” cases. Investigating and prosecuting these crimes is consistent with the principles of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice's signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department's past successful programs to reduce gun violence. A key principle of Project Guardian is enhancing coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes to ensure that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information on Project Guardian, see the Attorney General’s memorandum at: https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download. 

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.