SHARLA RAE KLEMETSEN, 26, of Renton, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $22,579 for wire fraud, being a felon in possession of a firearm and aggravated identity theft.  KLEMETSEN and her boyfriend, Shane Patrick Reaves, 32, were prolific traffickers of oxycodone obtained by fraud.  Both were felons who were repeatedly caught illegally possessing firearms.  At sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik also recommended that KLEMETSEN receive drug treatment while she is incarcerated.

            According to records filed in the case, between August 2009 and January 2010, KLEMETSEN and Reaves repeatedly used forged prescriptions and other people’s health insurance information to obtain oxycodone from area pharmacies.  Some of the personal information had been stolen during car prowls, and the prescription pads had been stolen from area clinics.  On October 1, 2009, police were called to a hotel room in Tukwila, Washington where the couple had been staying, because of damage to the hotel.  The officers found four weapons: a Taurus, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol; a Ruger, 9mm semi-automatic pistol; a stolen Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol; and a Sendra Corporation, .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle.  In December 2009, law enforcement was again called to a Kent, Washington hotel where the couple had been staying.  Three weapons were found there: a stolen Sarsilmaz Verona, 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun; an Intratec, 9mm semi-automatic pistol; and a stolen Astra, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol.  In addition to the weapons, officers found various items indicative of identity theft and prescription fraud.  KLEMETSEN and Reaves both have significant criminal history and are prohibited from possessing firearms.

            Reaves was sentenced to eight years in prison.  Two additional associates were sentenced in a separate federal prosecution to long prison terms.  Dawn Kaplan-Batty, 45, was sentenced to twelve years in prison in June 2011 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine and oxycodone with intent to distribute.  Kaplan-Batty’s associate, Brandon Johnson, aka Brandon Stone, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition.  Five other criminal associates face state prison sentences.

“The success of this investigation is directly attributable to the cooperative effort of the many law enforcement agencies involved,” said Kelvin Crenshaw, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Seattle Field Division.  “When law enforcement works together criminals lose and communities win.  Thanks to the dedication, tenacity and cooperative spirit of our enforcement partners, these criminals are no longer free to prowl the streets or prey upon our communities.” 

            In asking for a significant prison sentence for KLEMETSEN, prosecutors wrote to the court, “The scheme concocted and orchestrated by Klemetsen and Reaves had a direct, financial impact on local pharmacies and national insurance companies.  In addition, hundreds of individuals in our community were turned into victims through the commission of peripheral crimes, like vehicle prowls and residential burglaries, which were necessary to fuel their scheme.”

            Multiple law enforcement agencies and the Auto Theft Task Force worked on this investigation.  In addition to ATF, the U.S. Secret Service and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worked on the case.  Additionally, officers and investigators from the Bonney Lake, Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Tukwila, Auburn, and Lakewood Police Departments worked on the investigation, along with members of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.  The state prosecutions were handled by the King County Prosecutors Office and the Pierce County Prosecutors Office.

            The cases were prosecuted federally by Assistant United States Attorney C. Andrew Colasurdo, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Williams.  Mr. Williams is a Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute gun cases in federal court.

            KLEMETSEN, Reaves, Kaplan-Batty and Johnson were prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), is a comprehensive and strategic approach to gun law enforcement.  PSN is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America by networking both new and existing local programs that target gun crime and then providing them with the resources and tools they need to succeed.  Implementation at the local level -- in this case, in King and Pierce Counties-- has fostered close partnerships between federal, state and local prosecutors and law enforcement.

 

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