Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Grand Jury Returns Indictments
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments yesterday. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Three Dane County Residents Charged with Making False Statements During Firearm Purchases
Kassidy Garrett, 21, Tyler Seaton, 20, both of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and Isaiah Phillips, 18, Madison, Wisconsin, are charged with making false statements during the purchase of firearms. The indictment charges Garrett with 4 counts of making a false statement on a Firearms Transaction Record form required by federal law during the purchase of firearms on four occasions in February, March, and April 2022. The indictment alleges that she indicated on the forms she was the actual buyer of the firearms, but in fact she was not the actual buyer. Making such a false statement during the purchase of a firearm is commonly known as a “straw purchase.”
The indictment also charges Seaton with 4 counts of making false statements by allegedly inducing and causing Garrett to falsely state that she was the actual buyer of the firearms, whereas both Seaton and Garrett knew she was not the actual buyer. Phillips is charged with 2 counts of making false statements by allegedly inducing and causing Garrett to falsely state that she was the actual buyer of the firearms during two of the purchases, whereas both Phillips and Garrett knew she was not the actual buyer.
If convicted, Garrett, Seaton, and Phillips face a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on each count. The charges against them are the result of an investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Monroe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Stephan and Kathryn Ginsberg are handling the prosecution.