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What is straw purchasing ring charges
|Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group – a second-generation law firm managed by Todd Spodek, with over 40 years of combined experience. We’ve handled cases that captivated national attention, like representing Anna Delvey in the case that became a Netflix series, the Ghislaine Maxwell juror misconduct matter, and the Alec Baldwin stalking case. If you’re reading this, you or someone you care about is facing straw purchasing ring charges – and you need to understand exactly what federal prosecutors are alleging.
A straw purchasing ring isn’t just one person buying a gun for someone else. Federal charges for straw purchasing rings involve conspiracy prosecutions when multiple people coordinate to funnel firearms to prohibited persons. You’re looking at conspiracy charges stacked on top of individual straw purchase counts, with sentences that range from probation for minor participants to 15 years or more for organizers – and up to 25 years if those guns get used in violent crimes.
What Makes It a Ring Instead of Individual Straw Purchases
The difference between a single straw purchase charge and ring charges comes down to conspiracy. Federal prosecutors charge 18 USC 371 conspiracy when they can prove multiple people worked together with a common plan to illegally obtain firearms. That conspiracy charge carries its own five-year maximum sentence, separate from the individual straw purchase violations.
ATF looks for patterns showing coordination – multiple straw buyers purchasing similar firearms around the same time period, financial records showing payments from one person to several buyers, text messages discussing which guns to buy and where to deliver them. Once prosecutors establish a conspiracy, everyone involved faces exposure for the entire scope of the operation. A straw buyer who personally bought three guns can be held responsible for all 50 firearms the ring trafficked if she knowingly participated in the broader scheme.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act created new federal criminal offenses specifically targeting straw purchasing and trafficking in 2022, increasing maximum sentences and giving prosecutors cleaner charging options for ring prosecutions.
Who Gets Charged and What They Actually Face
Straw purchasing rings typically involve three types of defendants. The organizer or prohibited person who can’t legally buy guns directs the operation – this person faces the heaviest charges because they’re orchestrating the entire scheme. The actual straw buyers who walk into gun stores and lie on ATF Form 4473 face charges for each false statement plus conspiracy. Sometimes corrupt Federal Firearms Licensees participate by ignoring red flags or falsifying records – they face additional charges for violating their licenses.
Sentencing depends heavily on your role. In a Florida case sentenced in April 2025, the lead organizer received 11 years and 8 months in federal prison after trafficking more than 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles between October and December 2023. His co-conspirators – the people actually making the purchases – each received 11 years as well because they were active participants in a large-scale operation.
Smaller-scale participants often receive probation or minimal prison time if they cooperate. A Virginia prosecution involved straw buyers who made purchases directed by a convicted felon – they received 45 days in prison or home confinement, while the felon directing them received 27 months in federal prison for orchestrating the conspiracy.
Federal judges consider how many firearms were trafficked, whether the guns were recovered at crime scenes, the defendant’s criminal history, and level of participation. First-time offenders who made a handful of purchases typically avoid prison if they plead guilty early and cooperate. Career criminals running sophisticated trafficking operations face Guidelines calculations in the 5-to-15-year range before any enhancements.
The 25-Year Enhancement That Changes Everything
Most defendants charged in straw purchasing rings have no idea about the 25-year enhancement buried in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. If a firearm you purchased or helped traffic gets used to commit a felony, an act of terrorism, or a drug trafficking crime, your maximum sentence jumps from 10 years to 25 years. This isn’t theoretical – federal prosecutors actively pursue these enhancements when guns are traced back to violent crimes.
A Chicago case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged a man who illegally purchased the handgun used to kill a 6-year-old girl. The Super Bowl rally shooting in Kansas City in February 2024 triggered federal charges against three men for illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchases connected to that mass shooting investigation.
You don’t need to know the gun will be used in a crime or intend for anyone to get hurt. The statute applies if you engaged in straw purchasing or trafficking and the firearm was subsequently used in a qualifying offense. Federal sentencing courts have discretion within that 25-year maximum, but judges take gun violence cases seriously. This enhancement fundamentally changes plea negotiations – defense attorneys must investigate what happened to every firearm involved in the alleged conspiracy before advising clients whether to proceed to trial.
How Federal Agents Actually Build These Cases
ATF builds straw purchasing ring investigations systematically using firearms tracing data. When guns are recovered at crime scenes, ATF traces them from manufacturer to the FFL who sold them to the first retail purchaser. Multiple traces leading back to the same buyer within a short time period trigger red flags.
A Detroit-area ring prosecuted in 2024 involved leaders who used stolen credit card information to buy firearms online, enlisting straw purchasers to pick up the firearms from FFLs and lie on ATF paperwork. The scheme obtained at least 55 firearms before investigators connected the purchases through financial records and cooperating witnesses. The three leaders received sentences ranging from 52 to 94 months in federal prison.
Cooperation drives most ring prosecutions. Lower-level straw buyers get arrested first, prosecutors offer reduced sentences for testimony against the organizers. Once someone flips, agents use controlled purchases with recording devices to capture conversations about future transactions. Financial analysis proves conspiracy through bank records – a straw buyer working minimum wage who suddenly purchases $8,000 worth of firearms creates an obvious paper trail showing someone else funded the operation.
What You’re Actually Up Against
Straw purchasing ring charges mean you’re fighting the federal government’s full resources. ATF has firearms tracing databases, financial investigative teams, and cooperating witnesses already providing testimony. Most defendants make critical mistakes before they ever speak to a defense attorney. They talk to ATF agents without counsel, thinking they can explain their way out of the charges. They admit making the purchases but claim they didn’t know it was illegal to buy guns for someone else. They try to minimize their involvement by claiming they only bought “a few” guns, not realizing conspiracy liability extends to the entire ring’s conduct.
At Spodek Law Group – we handle federal firearms cases from the initial investigation through sentencing and appeals. Todd Spodek is a seasoned criminal defense attorney who has many, many, years of experience with federal prosecutions. We’ve represented clients in cases others said were unwinnable, and we understand that firearms charges carry mandatory minimums and enhancements that can turn a first offense into a decade in federal prison.
If you’re under investigation for straw purchasing ring charges, stop talking to federal agents without an attorney present – anything you say will be used to prove conspiracy and establish your knowledge of the scheme. Preserve all financial records, text messages, and documentation related to firearm purchases – your defense attorney needs to see exactly what evidence prosecutors have. Cooperation agreements and plea negotiations happen early in these cases, waiting until after indictment limits your options. Your best outcome depends on experienced legal representation that understands firearms law, conspiracy prosecutions, and how to negotiate with Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling gun trafficking cases.