Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged two individuals from Cincinnati with crimes related to making straw purchases of firearms.

Jermaine Pulley, 29, and Nylisha Hill, 22, are charged with conspiring to commit a felony against the United States by making false statements during purchases of firearms, including by lying on federal firearms forms.

Hill is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court this afternoon.

According to the indictment that was unsealed yesterday, Pulley was prohibited from possessing firearms under the terms of his probation. The indictment alleges that Pulley would provide Hill with cash to purchase firearms on his behalf and that the defendants would then make false representations to federal firearms licensees, to the effect that Hill, not Pulley, was the true purchaser of the firearms.

It is alleged the defendants visited two area federal firearms licensees on Oct. 12, 2021, in an attempt to purchase multiple firearms.

Pulley allegedly attempted to pay for a firearm at Shoot Point Blank – Cincy West, saying that he was paying for the firearm, but that it was for Hill’s use.

That same day, the defendants purchased two firearms at Shoot Point Blank – Blue Ash. Shortly after purchasing the firearms, it is alleged they attempted to buy two more.

Making a false statement on federal firearms forms is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Conspiring to commit a felony crime against the United States carries a potential penalty of five years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.