Bristol woman pleads guilty to ‘straw’ gun buying

A Bristol woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to breaking the law by buying guns that ended up in the possession of others, federal prosecutors said.

Leah Boucher, 30, pleaded guilty to the charge of making a false statement to a firearms dealer in connection with one of the purchases.

Federal prosecutors said they uncovered the crime on Aug. 9, 2021, when law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Tyrone Brown’s residence on Stevens Street in New Haven and seized a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

Brown, who is a convicted felon and was prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm or ammunition, was arrested at that time.

An investigation revealed that the firearm was registered to a family member of Boucher, and that Boucher had purchased 10 other firearms at four different gun stores in Connecticut between March and July 2021, according to federal authorities.

When investigators interviewed Boucher on Aug. 26, 2021, Boucher admitted that she had purchased firearms for other individuals, and that she was no longer in possession of any of the 10 firearms that were registered to her, according to federal authorities.

Boucher was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Oct. 15, 2021.

At sentencing, which is scheduled for July 25, before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arteron in New Haven, Boucher faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, according to federal authorities.

In the meantime, Brown pleaded guilty last week to the crime of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He is detained while awaiting sentencing.