BOISE—Christina Massie, 35, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to unlawfully possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
In court today, Massie admitted that on May 7, 2012, she was in possession of two sawed-off shotguns and that she assisted in the sale of the shotguns to an individual who was working with law enforcement officers. Massie is prohibited from possessing the shotguns because she was previously convicted of the felony crime of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. The case is part of a larger, ongoing investigation involving the Aryan Knights gang.
The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for February 25, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
This indictment and 12 others charging 21 defendants is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service; and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force, a task force composed of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Boise Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; the Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and District 3 Probation and Parole.
The investigation began when the task force focused on illegal drug distribution by the Aryan Knights, a gang active both in prison and on the streets throughout Idaho. Through the investigation, law enforcement agents identified Aryan Knights gang members who were trafficking methamphetamine, as well as associates of the gang who were the source of that methamphetamine.
