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Press Release

Raleigh County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Instrumental Role in Beckley-to-Philadelphia Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Denise Johnson, 26, of Beckley, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to travel interstate with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Johnson admitted to her role in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in or around June 2020, Johnson was a native of Philadelphia living in West Virginia when she introduced her friends and acquaintances in the Beckley area to a group of Philadelphia-based firearms traffickers led by Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh.” From in or around June 2020 to in or around July 2021, Jones and his co-conspirators obtained firearms bought by straw purchasers in the Beckley area that they took back to Philadelphia to sell for profit.

Johnson participated in the conspiracy throughout its duration, helping to organize and recruit straw purchasers who bought the firearms trafficked by Jones’ ring. Jones or an intermediary told the straw purchasers which firearms to buy and provided the money for the purchases. Johnson admitted that she knew the recruited straw purchasers would falsely certify on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that they were purchasing the firearms for themselves when they knew they were buying them for Jones and his trafficking conspiracy.

Of the over 140 firearms trafficked by Jones and his ring to Philadelphia, over 50 were recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia. Those have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.

Johnson is among 18 defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with the firearms trafficking. After five days of trial, a federal jury found Jones guilty on December 16, 2022, of conspiracy to travel interstate with the intent to deal in firearms without a license, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and interstate travel with the intent to deal in firearms without a license. Jones is awaiting sentencing and faces a  maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Philadelphia Police Department.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Negar M. Kordestani and Steve Loew prosecuted the case.

This case is 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46.

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Updated August 3, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses