Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Felon Sentenced to 60 Months for His Role in Illegal Firearms Purchase
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Keymal Bert Rucker, 31, of Laughlin, Nevada, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 60 months in prison. Rucker pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm.
From May 2019 to July 2020, Rucker directed his co-defendant, Rochelle Renee Conlin, to buy at least 102 firearms from Arizona gun stores on his behalf. Rucker provided Conlin with the money to purchase firearms, instructed her on what firearms to purchase, and took possession of the firearms after she purchased them. At the time, Rucker knew that he was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Five of the handguns that Conlin purchased for Rucker have been recovered by law enforcement in California.
At the time of Rucker’s arrest, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized two machine gun conversion devices, a Glock pistol, an AR-15 style rifle, and several hundred rounds of ammunition from his residence. A machine gun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “switch,” converts a pistol from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Previously seized from his vehicle and residence were two loaded .40 caliber handguns, an AK-47 pistol, extended and drum magazines, over 2,000 rounds of ammunition, body armor, approximately $14,000 in U.S. currency, marijuana, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, an embossing machine with accessories, seven jars of Tannerite, and binary explosives.
This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-08082-SMB-PHX
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-085_Rucker