Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

FARGO, N.D. — U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider announced today that April Bergman of Minot pleaded guilty today to firearms trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about June 25, 2023 to July 9, 2023, Bergman received a Sig Sauer Model P365 9mm pistol, a Beretta Model PX4 Storm .40 caliber pistol and a Smith and Wesson Model M&P 40 Shield .40 caliber pistol from another person in and otherwise affecting interstate and foreign commerce while knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that receipt of these firearms would constitute a felony in violation of a federal firearms trafficking statute, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 933(a)(2). Bergman also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

Bergman is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1. She faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for firearms trafficking, 15 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and a period of supervised release.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed using the tools Congress has provided to prosecute firearms trafficking,” Schneider said. “Aggressive prosecutions under these statutes will help keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and those who seek to use firearms to commit violent crime. I want to credit our partners in law enforcement and our career prosecutors for their work to secure this plea.”

This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Richard Lee, District of North Dakota.

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