Monroe County Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Make Straw Purchases of Firearms
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Yesenia Ramos, age 44, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on May 5, 2024, before United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley, to the charge of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the purchases of multiple firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Ramos admitted to conspiring with Windall Mitchell, age 34, of East Stroudsburg, to provide false information to federally licensed firearms dealers regarding the purchases of fifteen firearms between May 15, 2021, and June 14, 2022, in Monroe County. The firearms were purchased from various federally licensed firearms dealers in Monroe County. The investigation began after one of the purchased firearms was recovered from another individual by police in New York City.
Windall Mitchell previously entered a guilty plea to the charge of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the purchases of multiple firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers. On April 30, 2024, Judge Munley sentenced Mitchell to serve 30 months’ imprisonment.
The charge against the defendants resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiring to make false statements to firearms dealers is five years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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