BLOOMINGTON, IN – Ariel Campbell, 28, is headed to federal prison for ten months after admitting to a cold-blooded scheme to arm a dangerous criminal. Campbell pleaded guilty to making false statements on a federal firearms form, effectively acting as a straw purchaser for Antione Sutton, a convicted serious violent felon.
The scheme unfolded at American Arms in Bloomington on February 26, 2021, when Campbell purchased an AR-style pistol with a high-capacity magazine. Court documents and damning video surveillance show Campbell wasn’t buying the weapon for herself. She was there with Sutton, browsing firearms together, with Sutton even attempting to contribute cash toward the purchase. He directed her to pay the remaining balance and fill out the required ATF form, knowing he was legally prohibited from owning a gun himself.
Campbell lied on the form, claiming she was the actual buyer. But the evidence doesn’t stop there. A deep dive into Campbell’s cellphone revealed a series of texts with Sutton discussing ammunition types and quantities. While inside American Arms, Sutton sent her a screenshot of the exact gun he wanted, plucked from an online listing. Campbell responded with a photo of the same weapon on the store shelf, adding the chilling text, “I’ll grab guns for you whenever, I really don’t care.”
Law enforcement recovered the pistol at Sutton’s residence just days later, on March 5, 2021. Campbell wasn’t finished. On March 2, 2021, she attempted to purchase two more handguns on Sutton’s behalf, but those transactions were flagged and ultimately denied. The damage, however, had already been done.
“Those who believe they can circumvent firearm laws by purchasing on behalf of convicted felons are just as culpable in driving gun violence,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “These individuals may be able to legally purchase a firearm at the time, but they are still engaging in serious criminal activity that provides dangerous felons with the ability to arm themselves and traffic more guns. They are in no way less to blame for the murders and violence we see every day and we will work to hold them accountable.”
The case was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, and the Bloomington Police Department. Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt handed down the ten-month sentence, ordering three years of supervised release following Campbell’s prison term. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa prosecuted the case, ensuring this gun-running accomplice faces justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Michael Andrew Ford, Felon Firearm Possession, IL, 2016 · Illinois
- Christopher Hutton, Illegal Firearm Possession, Hammond IN, 2023 · Illinois
- Charles Allen Roark, Illegal Firearm Possession, MO 2016 · Illinois
- Cory Jean Gainey, Firearm Straw Purchase, W.Va. 2015 · West Virginia
- Sie Merriman, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, IN 2024 · Ohio
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