ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Fredericksburg man pleaded guilty today to lying on an ATF form in the course of straw-purchasing seven firearms for a convicted felon and criminal street gang member.
According to court documents, following the recovery of a firearm by the Metropolitan Police Department that had been purchased just one week prior, ATF agents reviewed firearm transaction records and determined that Chad Thomas Lamph, 22, had purchased that firearm and numerous others from federal firearms licensees in December of 2019. For each firearm that he purchased, Lamph certified on ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual transferee / buyer. However, the ATF’s investigation revealed that Lamph had in fact purchased seven of those firearms on behalf of another individual he knew to be a convicted felon and criminal street gang member in exchange for money.
Lamph pleaded guilty to making a false statement with respect to information required to be kept in the records of a federal firearms licensee. Lamph faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison when sentenced on December 11. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Peter Newsham, Chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John C. Blanchard and Ryan B. Bredemeier are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-225.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
