United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Anthony Crusoe, a 42 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to 37 months of incarceration for possession of a Taurus 9mm pistol.
On March 28, 2019, Crusoe entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement and admitted in open court that on April 9, 2018, Mary Safford went to Rountree Outdoors in Selma, Alabama and filled out ATF Form 4473 so she could buy a 9mm pistol. On ATF Form 4473, Safford said that she was the transferee/buyer of the firearm knowing that was not true. In truth and in fact she was buying the firearm for Anthony Crusoe who she knew was a convicted felon. This untruthful statement was material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm. Safford was a straw purchaser of the firearm. On Aug. 22, 2018, law enforcement officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant issued for Anthony Crusoe. They traveled to his home in Selma, Alabama. Some officers went to the front door and other officers went to the area behind the house. The front door officers knocked on the front door. No one answered. A few minutes later, the behind the house officers, observed Crusoe attempting to get into a vehicle that was parked behind his house while holding a blue duffel bag. Officers attempted to arrest Crusoe and he fled but was apprehended a short time later hiding in some bushes with the blue duffel bag. Crusoe was arrested and the Taurus pistol was found inside the blue duffle bag. At the time, Crusoe was a felon, due to his previous conviction for Unlawful Possession of Marijuana 1st Degree on Feb. 13, 2003. Crusoe told law enforcement officers that he gave Safford $260 to buy the firearm for him after he picked it out and told her which firearm to buy. Safford told law enforcement officers that she purchased the firearm and within a week of the purchase, Crusoe was in possession of it.
Officers of the Selma, AL Police Department along with special agents of the ATF investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney's Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
