Tuscaloosa Woman Convicted in Federal Court for Straw Purchase of a Firearm
A federal jury in Birmingham convicted a Tuscaloosa woman for the straw purchase of a firearm in an incident that occurred in April 2022.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Alabama, 24-year-old Devon Demarcus Hamler was found guilty Thursday on charges including conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and sale or transfer to a prohibited person.
The release states evidence presented during the trail revealed Hamler purchased a Glock 9mm pistol from a licensed firearms dealer in Tuscaloosa on April 20, where she "falsified documents by specifically stating that she was the actual buyer when in fact she was buying the firearm for another person who was prohibited from possessing a firearm."
U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona said the straw purchase of a firearm is "felonious conduct" and the conviction "ensures that those who commit this crime can no longer purchase firearms for others."
The release states the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, along with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force investigate the case.
Hamler was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal and she is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23.
Hamler faces the maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and 10 years in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and for sale or transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person.