Woman Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Gun Used in Armed Robbery

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Jaclyn Amanda Inge, 41, purchased two handguns from federally licensed gun dealers at gun shows. Before buying each gun, Inge completed a form 4473. On the form, she checked the box indicating that she was not addicted to drugs or a drug user, when in fact, as several witnesses would testify, she has used marijuana daily for years. And she illegally possessed those guns while being a drug user.

In October 2017, Inge and two conspirators, including Desmond Littlejohn, plotted to rob Mac’s Reloads, a Federal Firearm Licensee and ammunition-reloading business located in Virginia Beach where Inge was employed. During the robbery, Inge and Littlejohn used at least one of the guns Inge had purchased just weeks earlier. Inge provided the robbers with inside information about Mac’s Reloads to help them commit the crime.

In February 2019, Littlejohn was convicted by a federal jury of charges stemming from the armed robbery and was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William B. Jackson and Bill Muhr prosecuted the case.

This case is part 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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-90.