BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Beckley woman pleaded guilty today to providing false information on an ATF form in order to acquire a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 14, 2021, Arileah Lacy, also known as Leah, 24, bought a Ruger, Model Ruger-57, 5.7×28 caliber pistol, for an individual who is separately charged in a pending gun trafficking conspiracy, Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh.” Jones had given Lacy money to buy the firearm and told her which one to buy from a gun dealer in Beckley, West Virginia.
Lacy purchased at least six firearms as part of the overall scheme. Each time Lacy bought firearms for Jones, she lied on ATF Form 4473, Federal Firearms Transaction Records certifying that she was buying the guns for herself when she knew they were for Jones.
Lacy is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which conducted the investigation.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46.
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