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Press Release

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

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

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Sequoyah Swain, 22, of Beckley, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation for her role in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Swain admitted to recruiting straw purchasers to obtain firearms for a trafficking conspiracy led by Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh,” 37, of Philadelphia. Between early 2020 and mid-2021, Jones and his co-conspirators obtained over 140 firearms purchased in the Beckley area which they took back to Philadelphia to sell for profit. Approximately 45 of the trafficked firearms have been recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.

Jones paid Swain with drugs and money to recruit straw purchasers. Swain also acted as an intermediary for Jones by accompanying straw purchasers to Beckley-area stores, telling them which firearms to buy, and taking the purchased firearms to Jones.

Jones or an intermediary would provide the money for the firearms purchases. The straw purchasers falsely certified 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.

Swain pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting another individual in making false statements in acquisition of firearms, for the straw purchase of a Ruger Model Ruger 57, 5.7x28mm 5.7 caliber pistol for Jones in Beckley on April 18, 2021.

Swain 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 scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2023, 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 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-81.

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Updated March 24, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses