Waterville Woman Sentenced to 3+ Years for Directing Another to Illegally Purchase a Firearm for Her

BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for aiding and abetting another individual in making false statements during the purchase of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Nikeshia Knight, 25, to 37 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Knight pleaded guilty on October 30, 2024.

According to court records, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) obtained a copy of an ATF Form 4473 regarding a June 16, 2022 firearm purchase from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Fairfield, Maine. Further investigation revealed Knight was involved in this purchase. When interviewed, Knight admitted that she had used a straw purchaser to acquire the firearm because she would not pass a background check, providing money for the purchase and fentanyl after it was successfully made. Text messages between Knight and the proxy purchaser confirmed that Knight directed the purchase. 
Jason Palmer, 44, of Albion was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for making the straw purchase.

ATF investigated the case.

STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.

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