Former Gastonia Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Straw Purchasing A Firearm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On October 8, 2025, Xana Dayanae Dove, 28, and a former Gastonia police officer, appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to straw purchasing a firearm, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

According to filed plea documents and the court hearing, on May 25, 2023, Dove purchased a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol from Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer located in Belmont, North Carolina. As Dove admitted in court, in completing the purchase, she made a false and fictitious written statement when she falsely stated on ATF’s Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious.

Dove was released on bond following the plea hearing. At sentencing, she faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date for Dove has not been set. 

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and ATF for their work on the investigation, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Community Supervision, and the Gastonia Police Department for their assistance with Dove’s apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).