Coventry Man Indicted for Lying on Gun Form

A Coventry man has been indicted for allegedly providing false information on a federal firearms form to a licensed dealer. Bradley Richard Allen, 25, of Coventry, was charged with making false statements on the form while attempting to purchase a firearm, according to a federal indictment returned in Providence on Thursday.

According to court documents, Allen claimed on an ATF form required to be completed by the purchaser of a firearm that he was not the subject of a protective order. However, a background investigation by law enforcement revealed that Allen is the subject of a domestic violence restraining order issued by the Rhode Island Family Court on December 1, 2014.

The restraining order remains in effect for three years. Allen’s attempt to purchase the firearm was made on February 13, 2016. He later failed to respond to an ATF agent who called him to discuss his claim.

Allen is charged with one count of false statement during the attempted purchase of a firearm and one count of false statement to a federally licensed gun dealer. Making a false statement during an attempted purchase of a firearm is punishable by a statutory penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment; a fine of $250,000; and a 3-year term of supervised release.

Allen is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court on August 19, 2016. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Lawrence J. Panetta, Interim Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the indictment.