Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Des Moines Woman Sentenced to Prison for Making a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm
DES MOINES, IOWA – On Thursday, August 19, 2021, a federal judge sentenced Jennifer Elizabeth Shorter, age 23, of Des Moines, to 33 months in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Shorter previously pleaded guilty to the charge.
At sentencing, United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner found Shorter had illegally purchased eleven firearms by lying on the purchasing forms. For ten of the firearms, Shorter claimed she was the actual buyer, when she actually purchased the firearms for others. Two of those firearms were recovered in the hands of prohibited individuals, a felon and a juvenile. Eight of the firearms remain unrecovered.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.