Cuyahoga Falls man charged with lying about domestic violence convictions in effort to get gun

A federal grand jury indicted Andrew Crislip, 33, of Cuyahoga Falls, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and with making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer during the acquisition of a firearm, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Crislip possessed a .38 caliber Taurus revolver, model 85 Ultra-Lite, and ammunition on Sept. 9, 2016, after having been previously convicted of two misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in Stow Municipal Court in August 2016. He also knowingly represented on a Federal Firearms Transaction Record on Sept. 3, 2016 that he has never been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, when in fact, he has been convicted for such a crime, according to the indictment.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranya Elzein.

If convicted, the court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.