Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Des Moines, IA – Kenneth Quinton Crosby, age 24, of Des Moines, was sentenced today to 12 months and 1 day in prison following his guilty plea to four counts of False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm and one count of Unlawful Drug User in Possession of Firearms. Following his prison term, Crosby also will have to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Crosby purchased at least five firearms in 2020 and 2021. Each time he did, Crosby knowingly made several false misrepresentations on a required form, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive (ATF) Form 4473. This Form requires firearm buyers to answer several questions, including those about the buyer’s competency, criminal history, drug use, immigration status, and history with domestic violence. On February 9, 2022, Crosby knowingly possessed four pistols while being an unlawful user of marijuana.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Essley prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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