Las Vegas woman accused of ‘straw purchase’ of firearm
A Las Vegas woman has been indicted on a charge of lying to a firearms dealer in what authorities said was a “straw purchase” of a handgun.
Chandra Bridges, 26, made her initial court appearance Thursday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah on a single charge of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. A news release from the office of the U.S. attorney for Nevada said on Sept. 26, 2019, “Bridge falsely represented to a Federal Firearms Licensee that she was the actual buyer” of a .380-caliber handgun.
“In fact, she was acquiring the firearm on behalf of another person,” authorities said.
The person Bridges is accused of buying the gun for was not identified.
Youchah scheduled a jury trial in the case for May 17.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The arrest was made as part of Project Guardian, which is a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.