CONCORD - Angelina Keenan, 24, formerly of Salem, New Hampshire, was sentenced to five months in federal prison for illegally purchasing firearms for a Massachusetts resident, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on two occasions in December 2016, Keenan purchased guns from federally licensed firearms dealers in Hooksett and Pelham. During each purchase, Keenan filled out an ATF Form 4473, a form that all federally licensed firearms dealers are legally required to complete for over-the-counter firearms sales. In filling out the form, Keenan falsely stated that she was purchasing the firearms for herself, when in fact, she was purchasing the guns for a Massachusetts man who could not legally purchase them for himself in New Hampshire. In addition, Keenan represented on the purchase forms that she was not an unlawful drug user, when in fact she was addicted to heroin.
Keenan previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2018 to two counts of making a material false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.
“In order to safeguard the public, it is imperative to ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands," said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Straw purchasing of firearms is a serious crime that often makes guns available to drug dealers or violent criminals. We will continue to aggressively enforce federal gun laws in order to prevent drug traffickers from arming themselves and reduce the occurrence of violent crime."
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shane B. Kelbley and Anna Z. Krasinski.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
