DAVENPORT, IA - On Aug. 26, 2015, Jenifer Tran, age 41, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to time-served and three years of supervised release, with six months of home confinement, on a charge of making false statements during the purchase of firearms, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Tran was also ordered to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund.
On Aug. 14, 2014, the Davenport Police responded to a 911 call at the residence of Charles Bryan Ewert in Davenport, Iowa, in reference to a domestic disturbance. The caller related she had been physically and emotionally abused by Ewert, he had threatened to kill her, and he had multiple firearms at the residence. Davenport Police surrounded the residence and attempted to make contact with Ewert. He was uncooperative and the situation was handled as a barricaded suspect who was possibly armed. Ewert was observed by officers entering and leaving the garage during the stand-off. After about an hour, Ewert was arrested.
A search warrant was obtained for the residence and a search was conducted. Eight firearms were recovered in the garage along with a large amount of ammunition for various types and calibers of firearms including a Springfield Armory M1A, 7.62 caliber rifle, a Ruger P95, 9mm semiautomatic pistol, and a Remington 870, 12 gauge shotgun. These firearms were traced to Tran, and it was determined that the firearms were purchased by Tran for Ewert, at Ewert’s request.
When purchasing the firearms on Dec. 11, 2011, Tran completed a federal firearm transaction form required by law. In so doing, Tran falsely answered "yes" to the question: "Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual buyer, the dealer cannot transfer the firearm(s) to you.", when in fact Tran purchased the firearms for Charles Bryan Ewert.
This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
