Grand Jury Returns Indictments Charging Four Individuals with Gun Crimes
MADISON, WIS. -- A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Three Madison Residents Charged in Separate Indictments With Related Gun Crimes; Fourth Individual Pleads Guilty
In separate, but related indictments, three individuals have been charged with crimes including being a felon in possession of a firearm and false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer.
Lidia Guadalupe Molina, 21, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with three counts of making false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers when purchasing firearms. The indictment alleges that she certified that she was the actual buyer of the firearms when she was not. The indictment charges that she made such false statements when purchasing or attempting to purchase a 9mm pistol on July 12, 2019, a .380 caliber pistol on August 9, 2019, and a 9mm pistol on November 12, 2019.
Molina was previously charged with these offenses in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Madison on November 21. She was arrested on November 24, appeared in federal court on November 25, and was released following a hearing on November 26 with the condition that she not associate with the other defendants. Her arraignment hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
The complaint and affidavit alleged that Molina purchased a 9mm pistol on July 12, 2019, and on the form required by federal law, she indicated the she was the actual buyer of the firearm. The affidavit alleged that this pistol was found on August 10 in a car driven by Jamohn Barney. Barney, 34, also of Madison, is charged in an indictment returned today with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm. United States Attorney Scott C. Blader Western District of Wisconsin
The complaint and affidavit charging Molina also alleged that she purchased a .380 caliber pistol on August 9, and on the form required by federal law, she indicated the she was the actual buyer of the firearm. The affidavit alleged that this pistol was found in a car belonging to Sean Okray on August 23, 2019. Okray, 48, also of Madison, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Madison to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Okray was convicted of second degree intentional homicide while armed in Milwaukee County in 1993. His sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2020. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
Francisco Anglin, 22, also of Madison, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with aiding and abetting an individual to make an illegal purchase of a firearm. The indictment charging him alleges that he possessed a rifle on November 12, 2019, and that on that same day, he aided and abetted Lidia Molina to make a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer in order to purchase a firearm. The indictment alleges that he aided and abetted Molina to certify that she was the actual buyer of a 9mm pistol when she knew she was not. According to the affidavit filed with the complaint charging Molina, the firearms dealer believed that Molina was engaged in purchasing the firearm for someone other than herself, commonly referred to as a “straw purchase,” and refused to transfer the firearm to her.
If convicted, these individuals face the following penalties:
- Molina – a maximum penalty of five years on each of the three charges;
- Anglin - a maximum penalty of 10 years on the felon in possession charge and five years on the aiding and abetting charge; and
- Barney – a maximum penalty of 10 years.
The charges against Molina, Anglin, and Barney are the result of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sun Prairie Police Department, and the Monona Police Department. The charge against Okray was the result of an investigation by the Madison Police Department, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow is handling the prosecution of Molina, Barney, and Okray, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey C. Stephan is handling the prosecution of Anglin.
Onalaska Man Charged with Being a Felon In Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
Curtis Green, 39, Onalaska, Wisconsin, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The indictment alleges that on October 30, 2019, he possessed a .40 caliber pistol and ammunition.
If convicted, Green faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the West Salem Police Department, La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus is handling the prosecution.
These indictments returned today have been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, and violent crimes and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
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