Scranton Woman Pleads Guilty To Illegally Acquiring Firearms

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 49-year-old Scranton woman pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion in Scranton, for making false representations in connection with the purchase of firearms.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Kimberly Royce, admitted that on two occasions in 2013, she made false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer in Luzerne County to acquire firearms.  Royce obtained a 9mm pistol on January 30, 2013, and a .45 caliber pistol on March 29, 2013, and on both occasions she falsely represented that she was not purchasing them for another person and that she was not an unlawful user of a controlled substance.   

Royce was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2014, as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Wilkes-Barre Police, and Kingston Police.

Royce faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. Judge Mannion ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.