U.S. District Judge John R. Adams sentenced Antrinna Collins of Cleveland, to 48 months imprisonment for violations of federal firearms laws. The Sept. 8, 2008, sentencing was announced today by William Edwards, Acting U.S. Attorney and Christopher P. Sadowski, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division.
Collins was tried and convicted by a jury in May 2008 of two counts of making false statements in the acquisition of firearms and one count of unlawful transfer of a firearm to a felon.
The evidence presented at trial showed that on Oct. 22 and 23, 2005, Collins purchased three semi-automatic pistols and three AK-47 semi-automatic assault style rifles at the Cuyahoga County gun show in Berea, Ohio. One of the pistols Collins purchased was used by a convicted felon in a shooting 27 days after Collins purchased the firearm. Two individuals were later convicted of attempted murder and felonious assault in connection with the shooting.
Collins admitted she gave one of the three pistols to her husband in Nov. 2005, less than a month after purchasing it at the gun show. Collins knew her husband was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Collins’ husband was found in possession of another pistol she had purchased in June 2007; as a result he was convicted of having a weapon while under a disability. The evidence at trial also showed that Collins purchased a pistol in 2000 and that her husband was found possessing the firearm 21 days after her purchase.
“At the sentencing hearing Judge Adams noted, among other lawful factors, that escalating gun crimes and violence were factors he considered in determining the sentence. The sentence imposed by the Court reflects a sentence nearly twice the sentence recommended by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and acknowledges the egregious nature of Collins’ actions,” said Edwards.
“A person that purchases firearms and places them in the hands of convicted felons and violent criminals is only steps away from helping the criminal pull the trigger and commit an act of violence. The stiff sentence imposed in this case recognizes the severity of the crime,” said Sadowski.
