Suspected ‘straw buyer’ sentenced in Las Vegas gun case
A man accused of buying more than a dozen guns for a felon in a Las Vegas case has been given credit for time served and put on supervised release.
As part of a plea deal, Kevin Joseph Kale, 42, pleaded guilty to a single count of making a false statement to acquire a firearm. Prosecutors allege he actually bought 14 guns in the span of two days on behalf of David Owen Ivar, who, as a multi-time convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing any firearm.
In a sentencing memorandum filed with the court, prosecutors said it appeared Kale was “likely targeted as a straw buyer to feed his drug habit.”
Straw buyers are people who pretend to buy guns for themselves, but are actually obtaining the weapons for someone else, usually a person not legally able to buy a gun. In many cases, straw buyers are paid by the people for whom they are buying the guns.
Police say straw buyers play a key role in putting guns into the hands of criminals.
Kale will be on supervised release for three years.
Ivar remains charged in a separate, large-scale straw buyer case. That case is scheduled for trial Nov. 14.
Contact Glen A. Meek at gmeek@reviewjournal.com or 602-380-8951. Follow @GlenMeekLV on Twitter.