Evergreen Reporter

Fargo – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on July 17, 2024, April Elizabeth Bergman of Jamestown, ND, appeared before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte at the U.S. District Court in Fargo, ND, and was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison. The sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment for the offenses of firearm trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case originated with the burglary and theft of 35 firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensed business in Jamestown, ND. Three of these stolen firearms were found in Bergman's possession when she traded methamphetamine for them.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 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 & Wesson Model M&P 40 Shield .40 caliber pistol from another person. This transaction affected interstate and foreign commerce while Bergman knew or had reasonable cause to believe that receiving these firearms would constitute a felony under Title 18, United States Code, Sections 933(a)(2). Bergman pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in March 2024.

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gave our prosecutors valuable tools to confront firearms trafficking,” Schneider said. “As this strong sentence shows, we will aggressively use those tools to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and those who commit violent crimes. I am grateful for the dogged determination of our law enforcement partners not only for ensuring justice in this case but also for making sure these firearms were removed from the illicit market.”

“ATF treats burglaries of our federal firearms licensees with the utmost seriousness,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle of the St. Paul Field Division. “It’s integral that we move swiftly in these cases as the firearms obtained during FFL burglaries often quickly fall into the hands of dangerous criminals who cannot legally purchase firearms on their own. I’m very proud of the special agent who worked this case and very grateful for the work of our investigative partners—the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office, Jamestown Police Department—and the U.S. Attorney’s Office leading to the successful conclusion of this case.”

This case was investigated by multiple agencies including Fargo Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office; and Jamestown Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Lee prosecuted it.

The prosecution utilized new criminal provisions under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act enacted by Congress and signed by President Biden in June 2022. The Act is designed specifically to target unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.