Related Federal Cases
- Amos Dee Deering Sr., Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime, Iowa 2013 · Illinois
- Ted Alfonso Scott, Jr., Unlawful Gun Possession, Iowa 2014 · Iowa
- Miles Guo, Drug Trafficking, New York 2023 · Iowa
- Gregory Givens, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine, Iowa 2010 · Iowa
- Michael Recker, Grain Elevator Ticket Fabrication and Bankruptcy Fraud, Iowa 2012 · Iowa
Vinton Woman Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Gun Trafficking
A 53-year-old Vinton woman, Robyn Lynn Merchant, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for providing a rifle to her minor child.
The incident occurred on February 23, 2015, when Merchant gave her 16-year-old son a Walther HK MP5 .22 caliber rifle. The following day, a 14-year-old girl was shot in an upstairs bedroom at the residence, and the subsequent investigation revealed that the girl had died as a result of the gunshot wound.
Merchant’s son was present in his bedroom at the time of the shooting, along with two other 16-year-old males. The investigation also revealed that Merchant’s son regularly used marijuana in the residence and had a urine sample that tested positive for marijuana the night of the shooting.
During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Merchant and her son conspired with each other to distribute marijuana from their residence to other high school students who were friends of Merchant’s son.
Merchant pleaded guilty on May 23, 2016, to transferring a firearm to a prohibited person, a drug user. She was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade to 46 months imprisonment and a special assessment of $100. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
“From any perspective, this case is a terrible tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin W. Techau. “A 14-year-old girl is dead – and a mother is going to prison – because the mother provided her drug-using son with a gun. This case demonstrates why guns and drugs are a deadly combination.”
Merchant is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Vinton Police Department, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Department of Homeland Security, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
Case file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 16-CR-0017.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
