Boise Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearms Violations

BOISE – Ronald Keith Alexander, 37, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm and one count of transferring a firearm in violation of the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Alexander and co-defendant Phillip Bernardino Chavez were charged in a superseding indictment filed on February 12, 2013.

According to court documents, Alexander is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction in 2001 for robbery, in Walla Walla County, Washington. In court today, Alexander admitted that on December 4, 2012, he knowingly possessed a Federal Arms Corporation .308 rifle and a Century Arms 7.62x39 millimeter rifle. Alexander also admitted that he knowingly and unlawfully transferred a Pioneer Arms Corporation 7.62x25 rifle, a machinegun with a shortened barrel, to another individual, knowing the firearm was not registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.

Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The government is seeking forfeiture of the firearms.

Alexander is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

Phillip Chavez, 29, of Boise, is set for trial on August 13. He is charged with illegal possession of a machinegun and transferring a firearm in violation of the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Nampa Police Department, and the Boise Police Department.

The defendants are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.