BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A pair of federal sentences handed down yesterday reveal a brazen scheme to illegally funnel firearms from Alabama to the streets of Chicago, authorities say. The cases, investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), highlight the ongoing problem of “straw purchasers” – individuals who buy guns for those prohibited from owning them.
Jaqorium Marquise Island-Galvin, 25, of Bessemer, received an 18-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Island-Galvin pleaded guilty in June 2022 to providing false statements during firearm purchases. Court documents detail how, between May 2020 and May 2021, Island-Galvin partnered with Brianna Alexandria Washington to acquire at least 18 firearms from a licensed dealer in the Northern District of Alabama. Washington, acting as the straw purchaser, lied on federal forms, claiming she was the true buyer when she was, in fact, purchasing the weapons for Island-Galvin.
The motive? Island-Galvin allegedly didn’t want the paper trail leading back to him. He intended to traffic the firearms to the Chicago area, a region plagued by gun violence. The scheme worked, at least for a time. Authorities traced four of the 18 firearms to the Chicago area, and one ended up in the possession of a convicted felon and known drug trafficker during a Bolingbrook, Illinois, police search on June 16, 2021. Washington is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27th.
In a separate case, Christian Devon Coleman, 28, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, also followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman pleaded guilty in September 2022 to a similar charge – falsifying documents when purchasing a firearm. On May 1, 2020, Coleman purchased a Barrett .50 caliber rifle from a local firearms dealer. He then immediately handed it off to an unknown individual in the parking lot, receiving $10,900 in cash for his role as the straw purchaser.
These convictions are part of “Project Safe Neighborhoods” (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement and community partnerships. The ATF’s “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” campaign, a component of PSN, specifically targets straw purchasing and warns potential offenders of the severe penalties involved. Officials urge anyone with information about illegal firearm trafficking to come forward.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples prosecuted both cases. The ATF investigation underscores the agency’s commitment to tracing illegal firearms and disrupting the networks that supply them. The flow of guns from states with laxer regulations continues to fuel violence in cities across the country, and federal agencies are working to stem the tide, one straw purchaser at a time. Information on the “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” campaign can be found at www.dontlie.org.
Related Federal Cases
- Jaqorium Marquise Island-Galvin, Straw Purchase, Alabama 2024 · Alabama
- Kirstin Sue Jackson, Straw Purchase, Illinois 2024 · Illinois
- Rock Island Railroads, Grain Market Manipulation, Nebraska 1906 · Illinois
- Anthony Hill, $3.2M DCFS Fraud Scheme, Chicago IL, 2024 · Illinois
- Jan R. Kowalski, Bankruptcy Fraud, Chicago IL, 2023 · Illinois
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