New York woman pleads guilty to staw-purchasing guns in Pennsylvania, shipping them to D.R.
A New York woman pleaded guilty to straw-purchasing firearms in Pennsylvania and bringing the guns back to New York where they were shipped internationally.
PHILADELPHIA - A New York woman pleaded guilty to straw-purchasing firearms in Pennsylvania and bringing the guns back to New York where they were shipped internationally.
Elizabeth Tejada, 35, became a suspect after investigators say she bought eight nearly identical guns in Pennsylvania from November 2022 to April 2023.
It's believed that the guns were sent from the Northeast to a Miami-based shipping company that makes frequent visits to the Dominican Republic.
What we know:
Prosecutors say Elizabeth Tejada, 35, pleaded guilty to her part in a gun-running operation between Pennsylvania and New York that reached the Dominican Republic.
Tejada is said to have straw-purchased eight nearly-identical guns from November 2022 to April 2023, and smuggled the guns across stateliness inside a microwave.
Investigators were tipped off to Tejada's activity after she attempted to make another firearm purchase in Pennsylvania and was flagged.
Prosecutors on Monday said Tejada buying similar guns "strongly indicated that [Tejada] was engaged in straw-purchasing."
Dig deeper:
Tejada was arrested in October 2023 after investigators confirmed that she was driving from New York to Pennsylvania to make firearm purchases.
She was directed to make the purchases by an unnamed co-conspirator who told her which day to buy the guns and sent photos of the weapons needed.
Photos taken from Tejada's phone showed a dismantled microwave that prosecutors say was used to smuggle the firearms across state lines.
It's believed that the firearms were sent from the Northeast to a Miami-based shipping company that frequently shipped items to the Dominican Republic.
Investigators are said to have found a wire transfer exceeding $3,000 sent to Tejada from an unknown person in the D.R.
What's next:
Tejada is scheduled for sentencing in July, according to prosecutors.
Her co-conspirator, who authorities have not named, was deported earlier this year and could not be prosecuted for their crimes.