Bucks woman who was corrections officer charged in gun scheme

A Bucks County woman who is a former Philadelphia correctional officer is accused of illegally purchasing and transferring multiple firearms while using so-called “straw purchase” schemes in Montgomery County.

Amanda L. Barr, 37, of the 2500 block of Kay Avenue, Trevose, was arraigned before District Court Judge Patricia A. Zaffarano on charges of unlawful sale or transfer of firearms, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities and unsworn falsification to authorities in connection with multiple incidents, some of which allegedly occurred during gun shows held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Upper Providence, beginning in January 2018.

Barr was unable to post $500,000 cash bail and was remanded to the county jail to await a March 29 preliminary hearing on the charges before District Court Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar.

The charges against Barr were announced on Friday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Matthew P. Varisco, special agent-in-charge of the Department of Justice, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division.

“Buying and trafficking firearms to criminals is always a threat to public safety and is an egregious crime,” Steele said. “We have firearms laws for a reason and one of the biggest is to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and keep our communities safe. Law enforcement at all levels is committed to working together to fight the arming of criminals through these illegal straw purchases and gun trafficking.”

Varisco praised county detectives for the investigation and pointed out the danger of straw purchase activity.

“Straw purchasers and firearms traffickers enable violence,” Varisco said. “The partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement is vitally important in preventing violent crime and reducing the danger caused by firearm trafficking activities.”

The investigation by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, ATF and multiple federal, state and local partners into Barr’s gun trafficking activity began after two of the firearms she purchased were found in the possession of individuals who, due to previous felony convictions, were unable to legally purchase or carry firearms, which is indicative of straw purchasing, detectives alleged in court papers.

A “straw purchase” occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms specifically on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. Persons who are unable to legally purchase a firearm would include convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles and mentally ill individuals.

Detectives investigated Barr’s firearms by reviewing copies of ATF and Pennsylvania State Police purchasing forms at gun stores. The investigation found that from January 2018 to March 2019 Barr purchased seven firearms, according to the criminal complaint. The guns included 9mm and .40-caliber semiautomatic handguns, detectives alleged.

Six of the seven firearms were purchased at gun shows at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. Barr, authorities alleged, reported two of the firearms she purchased as stolen two weeks after their purchase in February 2018, but the other five were no longer in her possession.

On Nov. 23, 2021, ATF agents interviewed Barr, who at the time was employed as a corrections officer in Philadelphia, about her firearms purchases and recovery of two of those guns in the hands of persons not to possess a firearm, according to court documents.

“Although she claimed she legally sold the firearms she was unable to produce any of the paperwork generated from a legal transfer of a firearm,” detectives alleged.

Detectives ultimately determined that Barr utilized a social media platform to advertise and illegally sell five of the seven firearms at prices ranging between $500 and $600, according to the arrest affidavit.

“Barr and the prospective buyer would communicate via the social media platform and then meet for the illegal firearms transfer,” detectives alleged.

Following the interview with the ATF, Barr resigned her position as a correctional officer, according to authorities.