Indianapolis Woman Indicted for Illegal Purchase of 36 Firearms on Eight Separate Occasions from Indianapolis Area Gun Stores.
Project Guardian Already at Work in the Southern District of Indiana.
INDIANAPOLIS – -(AmmoLand.com)- United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced that Iva Patrick, 30, of Indianapolis, was indicted by a grand jury for charges of unlawfully providing false information in connection with a purchase of a firearm.
“If you choose to lie on the federal forms when purchasing a firearm, you must face the consequences,” said Minkler. “Firearms purchased illegally, or for other people, are often purchased for no other reason, but to commit crimes. The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearm laws through Project Guardian.”
In July of 2019, investigators from the Indianapolis Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) initiated an investigation into the suspected firearms trafficking activities of Iva Patrick. Investigators were able to confirm that Patrick purchased at least 36 firearms from federal firearms licensees (FFLs) in the Indianapolis area on at least eight separate occasions between June 15, 2019 and August 9, 2019.
Patrick’s then boyfriend, Jeremy Evans, who is a convicted felon and the father of her three children, instructed Patrick to purchase all of the firearms. Evans was unable to purchase the firearms himself, due to numerous previous felony convictions, and he directed Patrick to purchase the guns for him. Patrick completed the required paperwork for each gun purchase, indicating that the guns were for her, when in fact the guns were being purchased for Evans.
Evans was present in the parking lot of the FFLs during several of the firearms purchases and he specifically told Patrick which firearms to purchase. Once Patrick secured the firearms purchases from the FFLs, the firearms were initially stored at an Indianapolis residence. On August 21, 2019, CGIC investigators executed a search warrant at the Indianapolis residence, where receipts for numerous firearms purchased by Patrick were located and numerous empty firearms boxes, including one firearms box belonging to one of the firearms purchased by Patrick were found. However, no actual firearms purchased by Patrick were recovered during the search at the Indianapolis residence.
Following the search warrant, nine firearms purchased by Patrick were recovered in Chicago, Illinois. Of those nine recovered firearms, it was determined by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) that one of the guns purchased by Patrick was used in an unrelated homicide in Chicago where at least four persons were shot and one person died from a gunshot wound. Several firearms purchased by Patrick were recovered in connection with a carjacking, narcotics dealings, other shootings, and in the hands of convicted felons. Investigators are actively working to recover all firearms purchased by Patrick.
Evans was charged by criminal complaint on October 21, 2019, for his participation in a home invasion robbery, which occurred on August 19, 2019. Firearms were stolen from the robbery victim’s residence. Evans was also charged with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Last week, Attorney General Barr announced Project Guardian, an initiative that focuses on reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearm laws. This case is a prime example of the Project Guardian initiative at work in the Southern District of Indiana. Law enforcement utilized crime gun intelligence to investigate this case and utilized various investigative resources including the ATF National Tracing Center to run a trace on all recovered guns.
For more information on Project Guardian, see the Attorney General’s memorandum at: https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.
This case was investigated by CGIC which is comprised of investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).
“This indictment should make clear that those who knowingly put firearms in the hands of prohibited persons are also responsible for how those firearms are used,” stated Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of guns from legal possession into illegal commerce.”
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy A. Morris, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Patrick faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to partner with federal and local law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals committing violent crimes involving firearms. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 2.3.
Ten years doesn’t seem like enough. One of the pistols purchased has already been used for murder.
One would assume these straw purchases were sold to prohibited persons.
There’s a lot of dangerous criminal activity that can now happen because of these two.
10 years and $250,000 per incident. SO we’re talking 360 years and $9 million in fines.
Hopefully they don’t let these buffoons plea bargain their crimes down to a slap on the wrist. Both of them should have every crime committed with these guns tacked onto their prison sentence too. I’m sure the anti-gunners will blame the law abiding gun owners in some way.
If you were to ask me, the whole thing reeks of gun control. What happened to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, where it states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” What part of “Shall not be infringed,” did we lose track of? That part that says felons lose all their rights? As for from 4473, see: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/4473-part-1-firearms-transaction-record-over-counter-atf-form-53009/download This is what erosion of gun rights looks like. It starts small, like an unwelcome speck that just suddenly… Read more »
StWayne, felons misappropriating arms and reselling to gangsters and carjackers reeks with criminal activity to me. Keeping arms away from violent criminals does serve the functioning body of the whole and should be every politicians political agenda.
so you two think its commendable that this female purchased a number of firearms that in very short order ended up in the hands of hardened criminals (against laws enacted precisely to prevent this) who then USED those arms in the commissioni of further crimes? What is wrong with your heads? I suppose you think it well that an adult purchase hard liquor, provide that to young boys who then get drunk, get into their cars, and cause serious car crashes because they are too drunk to control their vehicles? Same thing. Her supplying of those arms to those people… Read more »
You seem to see life as a quite shallow endeavor. I think if you thought about it deeply, you’d notice that nobody is saying that but YOU! What people here tend to say is some variety of; “No matter what laws get inacted, people will still get whatever their hearts desire, whether they buy them from this woman, build them in their garage, pay someone (LEOs perhaps?) to steal them for them, or just create them in their own bathtubs.” One would think that prohibition of bathtub gin, the failed war on drugs, the failed war on prostitution, etc. would… Read more »
Huh. I keep rereading the text of the 2nd Amendment and for the life of me I do not see where it says anything about the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall be contingent on truthfully filling out form 4473. Is there something I’m missing here? The only text I can find anywhere just says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Help here please…..
It states it on the 4473
Hopefully this will get out on the MSM to alert the public of the NICS background check system already in place and the success you can have by using it and enforcing it. This woman and her significant other should be charged with being an accessory to the crimes committed with the illegally purchased guns as well as the forging of the 4473 form.
Been there done that, my wife wanted to buy me a pistol for Christmas a few years ago, no problem at Cabala’s, back ground check done on myself, and she goes to pay for it, then out of no where some ill informed IDIOT with a fishing pole ( Which should have had it stuck where the (SUN DOESN’T SHINE), hollers about Straw Purchase, this then brings out security. All said and done it was all legal, but to no avail, the nut case with the fishing pole still thought it was a straw purchase, the manage even brought the… Read more »
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store….
I’ve a tin poster of that…. hanging in my living room! It actually says: “Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, should be a convenience store, not a government agency.”
I would say the boyfriend used her up. He was using her to buy guns so he could sell them to criminals. This is a no,no. It seems like she should have been smarter than that Thirty-six guns is way over the top and pretty stupid.
This is nothing more than infringement. The only crimes here are armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and violation of rights by government thugs.
When Jr. worked at Dunham’s a number of years back, a couple came in,
HE: I want this gun, and points.
She; we want that gun.
Jr; NO WAY…
HE; you have to sell it to her.
Jr; No I don’t you obviously cant buy it and having her buy it for you is against the law.
HE; mad yells.
Jr: leave the store before I call the PD.
Make it 2 years for EACH weapon, much more reasonable…. 72 YEARS !
straw urchasing carries a max sentence of five years PER GUN.
Ouch! Bye dumbass, have fun in federal prison.