Iesha T. Boles, Gun Straw-Purchase Conspiracy, MO 2024

Kansas City woman Iesha T. Boles, 43, admitted in federal court today to running a gun straw-purchase ring that flooded the streets with untraceable firearms. Boles pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements during the purchase of six Jimenez-brand pistols—lying on federal forms to acquire weapons for someone else.

Boles waived her right to a grand jury and entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays. She admitted that between Nov. 22, 2013, and June 11, 2017, she falsely claimed to be the actual buyer of each firearm, when in fact she was acting as a middleman for a co-conspirator. All six weapons were funneled through Conceal & Carry, a federal firearms licensee in Kansas City, Mo.

Four of the guns—a 9mm and three .380-caliber Jimenez pistols—were purchased by the co-conspirator and shipped to the dealer, then transferred to Boles. She later reported all four stolen, including one lost just two days after purchase. On two other occasions, the co-conspirator transferred ownership directly to Boles after purchase, only for her to report one of those firearms stolen 41 days later.

Each transaction involved a direct lie on federal Form 4473, which asks buyers if they are the actual purchasers. Boles signed “yes” every time. That lie is a federal felony—one that prosecutors say enabled dangerous individuals to bypass background checks and obtain weapons off the books.

Under federal statutes, Boles now faces up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum sentence is set by Congress, but the actual term will be determined by the court after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. A sentencing hearing is pending.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department. It falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative targeting violent crime hotspots through coordinated law enforcement action across the Western District of Missouri.