A Rutland woman has been charged with making false statements to a federal firearms dealer in connection with the purchase of a firearm, Grimy Times has learned.
Morgan Gates, 27, of Rutland, Vermont, was arrested yesterday after making false statements to a federal firearms dealer in connection with the purchase of a firearm.
According to documents in the case, including the criminal complaint charging Gates, on June 29, 2022, Gates attempted to purchase a firearm at a Rutland dealer with a federal firearms license (“the FFL”). The FFL had reason to believe that Gates was an active drug user, delayed her purchase, and contacted the Rutland Police Department.
While law enforcement investigated the attempted purchase, Rutland Police detectives learned that Gates had successfully purchased a Glock Model 45 9x19mm handgun from a different FFL located in Rutland on June 29, 2022. In coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations, Rutland Police detectives located Gates and detained her.
A search of Gates’s residence in Rutland did not recover the Glock firearm but did result in the seizure of ammunition of multiple calibers and an empty box of 9x19mm ammunition. The Glock Model 45 9x19mm handgun purchased by Gates has not yet been recovered.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office notes that the criminal complaint is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
If convicted, the defendant faces up to 10 years of imprisonment on the current charge. Any sentence in the case will be advised by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the violent crime reduction efforts.
Related Federal Cases
- Robert L Roberts, Firearms Trafficking, Vermont 2023 · New Hampshire
- Anthony Hamel, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material, Vermont 2025 · Alabama
- Jorge Velazquez-Cordova, Reentry After Deportation, Vermont 2024 · New Hampshire
- Jorge Velazquez-Cordova, Unlawful Reentry, Vermont 2021 · New Hampshire
- William Arthur Nichols, Jr., Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Officers, Vermont 2021 · Vermont
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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