Brandon Andrea Powell, Straw Purchaser, Virginia 2015

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has convicted a Chester man of straw purchasing six firearms in 2015, federal authorities announced.

Brandon Andrea Powell, 41, was found guilty of making a false statement to acquire a firearm after purchasing six guns at three federally licensed firearms dealers in the Richmond area during August and September 2015.

According to court records, Powell falsely stated that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms, when in fact, he was straw purchasing them for an individual named Trenton Pointer. Pointer provided the guns to Abdul Shashid Davis, who in turn, sold them to an undercover New York City Police Detective.

Powell faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison at sentencing. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Pointer and Davis were charged, convicted, and sentenced in New York State for their role in this scheme. Nine other federal defendants have been sentenced for making false statements in connection with this scheme.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Attorney General's signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict.

Powell was convicted on charges related to his role in the firearms trafficking scheme that took place in 2015.

Brandon Andrea Powell, Defendant, is facing a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison for making a false statement to acquire a firearm.

This case is part of an ongoing effort to combat gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/straw-purchaser-convicted-role-firearms-trafficking