ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last week, charging an Oregon man and woman with conspiracy to purchase firearms while the man was in prison.
According to the indictment, 25-year-old Dominique Kyle James Swain was arrested in Oregon in January 2022 for violating his supervised release from a prior federal criminal case in the District of Alaska. He was transported from Oregon to Alaska after his arrest. As a convicted felon, Swain was prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms. While in custody in Anchorage, Swain orchestrated and directed 25-year-old Abigail Corinne Elaine Sturdevant, who was in Oregon at the time, to purchase firearms on her behalf. Sturdevant agreed and, during July and August 2022, purchased several specific model firearms at Swain’s direction, falsely claiming that she was the actual purchaser when they both knew the firearms had been purchased for Swain. It is alleged that Swain was on the phone with Sturdevant while they were shopping for firearms. Sturdevant then stored the purchased firearms at her residence for Swain.
Swain and Sturdevant are each charged with one count of conspiracy to purchase firearms. Swain is also charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
United States Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Eugene Police Department, are investigating the case.
Assistant US Attorney George Tran is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to be effective in reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with local prevention and re-entry programs to achieve lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment is simply an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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