Avoca Man Sentenced To Two Years’ Imprisonment For Providing False Information To Firearms Dealers In Connection With Firearms Purchases

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Barnes, age 27, of Avoca, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to serve two  years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for providing false information to federally licensed firearms dealers in connection with his purchase of 10 firearms.

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, in February 2015, Barnes entered a guilty plea to a charge in an Indictment which alleged he made false statements in completing ATF forms between November 7, 2011, and May 14, 2013.  The defendant admitted that on ten separate occasions between those dates, he falsely stated when buying firearms that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances.  Under federal law, unlawful users of controlled substances are prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms. 

In addition to the two-year imprisonment sentence, Judge Mariani ordered Barnes to be placed on two years of supervised release following service of his prison sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Hinkley prosecuted the case.

# # #