Erie Woman Purchased Guns for Prohibiter Possessor

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

Treasure Ann Gray, 40, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from March 9, 2020, to July 21, 2020, Gray conspired with two co-defendants to violate federal straw purchase laws and acquired firearms for a co-defendant who was prohibited from possessing firearms based on prior criminal convictions.

Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for July 20, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court continued Gray on bond.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pennsylvania State Police, Conewango Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Gray. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.