Luzerne County Man Pleads Guilty To Straw Purchase Of A Firearm

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Dashae Simmons, age 26, of Pittston, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on February 15, 2023, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to the charge of making false statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Simmons admitted to providing false information regarding the purchase of a .22 caliber pistol from Dunkelberger’s Sports Outfitter, in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, on June 24, 2020.  The firearm was later recovered from another individual during the commission of a crime in Newark, New Jersey.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Newark, New Jersey, Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Under federal law, the maximum penalty is up to ten years in prison, a term of supervised release and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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