Berkeley County woman admits to firearms trafficking

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kristal Rayne Montieth, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to her role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Montieth, 24, pled guilty to one count of “False Statement During Purchase of Firearm.” Montieth purchased a firearm a 9mm pistol, making a false statement on the ATF in December 2019 in Berkeley County.

Montieth faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

These charges are the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.