Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Tammy Lynn Alger, age 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, today to a year and a day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for purchasing ammunition for a person previously convicted of a crime and thereby prohibited from possessing a weapon or ammunition, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein stated, "People should be on notice that if you help a criminal get a gun or ammunition you may be subject to federal criminal prosecution."

“We take the crime of straw purchasing very seriously,” says ATF Special Agent in Charge Gregory K. Gant. “We will not only investigate those convicted felons who illegally possess firearms and/or ammunition, but also those persons who knowingly, fraudulently, and illegally obtain these items for them.”

According to the plea agreement, on November 24, 2006, Alger told a confidential informant (CI) that Edwin Alvanez wanted her to purchase ammunition for him because he had a record and could not purchase the ammunition on his own. Alger told the CI she was going to Montgomery County to buy the ammunition and left the CI a short time later. Alger returned to the CI’s apartment several hours later and told the CI that she purchased a box of .40 caliber ammunition for Alvanez, even though the people at the store were very suspicious of her and asked her to fill out a log book prior to buying the ammunition. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives obtained documentation from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Kensington, Maryland, showing that Tammy Lynn Alger purchased a quantity of Remington (RP).40 S&W caliber ammunition on November 24, 2006.

Edwin Francisco Alvanez, age 21, of Adelphi, Maryland pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun and being a felon in possession of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2008. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count.

This case was brought as part of a joint effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to deter illicit firearms trafficking in Prince George’s County.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James M. Trusty and Stacy Dawson Belf, who prosecuted the case.