CHARLES CITY – Wendi Patrie, age 44, from Charles City, Iowa, has been charged with committing four firearms offenses: two counts of making false statements in connection with buying firearms and two counts of transferring firearms to a felon. The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed yesterday in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The indictment charges Patrie with buying three firearms, one in 2010 and two in 2011, falsely claiming she was buying the firearms for herself when, in truth, she was purchasing the firearms for, and transferred the firearms to, her boyfriend and later husband, knowing he was a felon and could not legally possess firearms.
If convicted, Patrie faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ in prison, a $1 million fine, $400 in special assessments, and 14 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Patrie’s trial is scheduled for December 2, 2013.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Charles City Police Department, and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.
