NORFOLK, VA – A trio of schemers are headed to federal prison after a brazen plot to funnel guns from Virginia to the streets of New Jersey was dismantled by the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The ringleader, David Collins, 34, of Vineland, New Jersey, along with accomplices Cardel Howard, 36, of Norfolk, and Felicia Tyson, 36, also of Norfolk, were sentenced this month for their roles in a sophisticated firearm straw purchasing conspiracy.
The scheme, which ran from March 2020 to July 23, 2020, relied on Felicia Tyson acting as a front, illegally purchasing seven firearms and attempting an eighth on behalf of Howard and Collins. Court documents reveal Howard directed Tyson on which weapons to buy and dictated the price tag for the illicit firearms. Meanwhile, Collins made the trip from New Jersey to Virginia specifically to acquire a gun he couldn’t legally obtain in his home state due to a prior felony conviction.
The investigation cracked open after a firearm linked to the conspiracy surfaced during a shooting investigation in New Jersey. Law enforcement traced the weapon back to Tyson, quickly unraveling the network. The ATF’s Washington Field Division, led by Acting Special Agent in Charge Darrell Longwood, played a key role in the takedown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Montoya skillfully prosecuted the case before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Collins received the longest sentence – 22 months in prison. Howard also got 22 months for his direction of the operation, while Tyson, the straw purchaser, was handed a 14-month sentence. U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced the sentencing, emphasizing that this case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement and community partnerships.
PSN focuses on the most dangerous offenders and pairs them with programs designed to prevent recidivism, but the core of this case is the illegal flow of firearms across state lines. The ATF will continue to work tirelessly to stop these types of schemes. Court documents related to this case, identified as Case No. 2:22-cr-76, are available on PACER and the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case serves as a stark reminder that those who attempt to circumvent gun laws, whether by acting as straw purchasers or by orchestrating such schemes, will face the full weight of federal prosecution. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this and other federal crime cases as they unfold.
Related Federal Cases
- William D. Fulmer, Possession of Firearm by a Convicted Felon, WV 2024 · West Virginia
- Nicholas T. Billman, AK-47 Armed Robbery, Ohio 2015 · Illinois
- Brandon Locke, Gun and Drug Trafficking, Virginia 2023 · Alabama
- Abdur Rahmen Abdullah, Firearms Law Violation, Pennsylvania 2013 · California
- John Magobet, Firearms Trafficking, Hampton VA, 2023 · Virginia
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