Marquise Island-Galvin Gets 18 Months for Straw-Purchased Firearms

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a landmark sentence for illegal firearm dealing, Jaqorium Marquise Island-Galvin, 25, of Bessemer, was handed down an 18-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco.

Island-Galvin pleaded guilty in June 2022 for his role in a scheme to ‘straw purchase’ at least 18 firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee in the Northern District of Alabama, reports Grimy Times. Brianna Alexandria Washington, Island-Galvin’s co-defendant and straw purchaser, falsified documents to mask his involvement, stating she was the actual buyer when she was purchasing for Island-Galvin.

Island-Galvin directed Washington to buy the firearms in an effort to keep his name off the paperwork. The intended endgame was the trafficking of these weapons to the Chicago area. At least four out of the 18 firearms ended up being sold there. The Bolingbrook Police Department recovered one such firearm in Illinois, linked to Island-Galvin, at the home of a known drug trafficker and convicted felon.

Christian Devon Coleman, 28, from Birmingham, was also sentenced for his part in the scheme. On May 1, 2020, he bought a Barrett .50 caliber rifle under false pretenses to resell to another party. This straw purchase was also facilitated through falsified documents.

The sentences are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative by the Department of Justice focused on reducing violent crime. PSN’s ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’ campaign specifically targets firearm straw purchases and educates potential participants about the legal penalties involved.

This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples handling the prosecution.

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