Anthony Darnell McCutchen, Illicit Firearms Purchase, Virginia 2016

Anthony Darnell McCutchen, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in the illicit purchase of two firearms. McCutchen pleaded guilty to the charges on December 9, 2016.

According to court documents, on October 1, 2016, McCutchen met an individual at a Virginia gun show, whom he had recruited to purchase the firearms on his behalf. McCutchen aided and abetted this individual's false statements to a firearms dealer by accompanying the individual to the dealer, providing the money to purchase the firearms, and directing the individual on how to behave during the purchase.

Law enforcement observed McCutchen's activity at the gun show and, after learning of his prior conviction for armed robbery in Washington, D.C., executed a traffic stop shortly after McCutchen left the gun show. During the stop, law enforcement recovered the two firearms from McCutchen's possession.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael B. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) Washington Field Division, announced the sentencing after the court hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina A. Cuellar prosecuted the case. Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III, presided over the sentencing hearing.

McCutchen's sentence is a result of his guilty plea to aiding and abetting the purchase of firearms by false statements. His prior conviction for armed robbery in Washington, D.C., also played a role in his sentencing.

The case is part of the U.S. Attorney's Office's efforts to combat firearms trafficking and violent crime in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/dc-man-sentenced-purchase-illegal-firearms