Pottstown man jailed in straw purchase scheme
NORRISTOWN » A Pottstown man faces some time behind bars after he admitted to conspiring with several others in the illegal sale or transfer of a firearm during an alleged straw purchase scheme.
Andrew Thomas Strauss, 25, of the unit block of Winding Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of illegal sale or transfer of firearms and conspiracy in connection with incidents that occurred in April 2019.
Judge William R. Carpenter also ordered Strauss to complete five years’ probation following parole, meaning Strauss will be under court supervision for about seven years.
As conditions of the sentence, the judge also ordered Strauss to undergo a psychological evaluation. Strauss also will be placed under addict supervision and must receive mandatory intensive outpatient treatment, the judge said.
With the charges, county detectives alleged Strauss conspired with two others to obtain a .380-caliber handgun when he was prohibited by law from possessing a gun.
Detectives alleged that on April 6, 2019, Strauss and a woman and another man went to an area gun shop where the woman purchased two handguns, claiming she was purchasing them for herself, when in reality she was purchasing them on behalf of Strauss and the second man.
“These individuals have attempted to conceal the true nature of the purchase by creating an alternative account of the purchase and in turn what transpired with the firearms after the purchase,” detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.
The woman and the second man also faced charges in connection with the incident, court papers indicate.
In court papers, detectives characterized the incident as a so-called “straw purchase” scheme.
“A straw purchase occurs when the actual buyer of a firearm uses another person, a strawpurchaser, to execute the paperwork necessary to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer,” detectives alleged in the arrest affidavit. “A straw purchaser is a person with a clean background who purchases firearms specifically on behalf of a person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm.”
During the investigation, detectives obtained video surveillance from the gun shop that recorded the activity and also uncovered incriminating social media conversations that Strauss had with others.
Court papers indicate that Strauss, earlier on April 6, attempted to purchase a firearm at the same gun shop but was denied the purchase via the Pennsylvania Instant Check System and a background check. The background check indicated Strauss was prohibited from acquiring a firearm, according to the criminal complaint.
Detectives also alleged Strauss lied on state and federal firearms purchase forms when he attempted to purchase the firearm.
Other charges of making false written statements and unsworn falsification to authorities were dismissed against Strauss, according to court records.