Lakeshia Nicole Simon, Straw Purchasing, West Virginia 2021

Beckley, West Virginia - In a shocking case of gun trafficking, two Beckley women, Lakeshia Nicole Simon, 23, and Tyana Bly, 22, have pleaded guilty to straw purchasing roles in a conspiracy to traffic over 130 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Simon and Bly each admitted to straw purchasing firearms in Beckley for Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh.” Jones provided Bly with money to buy the firearms and told her which ones to buy, and did the same with Simon through an intermediary.

Simon admitted to purchasing two Ruger Model Ruger 57, 5.7x28mm 5.7-caliber pistols for Jones on April 20, 2021. Simon further admitted to buying at least three additional firearms for Jones in April 2021 so he and others could transport and resell them outside of West Virginia.

Bly admitted to buying two SCCY CPX-2 9mm pistols and a Taurus G3C 9mm pistol for Jones in Beckley on April 2, 2021. Bly further admitted to purchasing at least five firearms for Jones in March and April 2021 so he and others could transport and resell them outside of West Virginia.

Simon and Bly pleaded guilty to making false statements in acquisition of firearms, admitting they falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that they were the buyers of the firearms while knowing they were purchasing the firearms for someone else.

Simon and Bly are among 13 individuals indicted in connection with their roles in a conspiracy to traffic over 130 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More than 40 of the firearms have been recovered in Philadelphia and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent crimes.

Simon and Bly each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Simon is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2022, and Bly is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2022.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/two-beckley-women-plead-guilty-straw-purchasing-firearms