Ashley Zastrow, False Statements During Firearms Purchase, Wisconsin 2022

State: Wisconsin
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/merrill-woman-sentenced-prison-making-false-statements-during-purchase-firearms" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A 32-year-old Merrill woman has been sentenced to prison for making false statements during the purchase of two firearms in Wisconsin Rapids.

On January 13, 2022, Ashley Zastrow purchased two firearms at a store in Wisconsin Rapids. To complete the purchase, she represented that she was the actual buyer of the firearms when, in fact, she was not.

An investigation by law enforcement revealed that Zastrow purchased the firearms for an individual who accompanied her to the store and provided her with cash at the time of purchase.

This offense is known as a ‘straw purchase.’ The person Zastrow provided the firearms to is prohibited by law from possessing firearms as a result of previous felony convictions and allegedly used one of the firearms purchased by Zastrow to commit a homicide.

U.S. District Judge William M. Conley sentenced Zastrow to 1 year and 1 day in federal prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

In sentencing Zastrow, Judge Conley stated that she made a ‘disastrous’ choice to transfer firearms to a prohibited person and could not ignore the fact that this choice contributed to a woman’s death.

The case against Zastrow was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach involves collaboration by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.

The charge against Zastrow was the result of an investigation conducted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Merrill Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Marshfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus prosecuted this case.

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