11 arrested after Allegheny County task force investigations into straw purchases of firearms
Nearly a dozen people were arrested in connection with task force investigations into illegal straw purchases of firearms in the Pittsburgh area.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said 11 people based in western Pennsylvania have been charged with illegal possession and transfers of firearms, including a convicted felon on parole who was arrested after a police chase.
Thirty-three-year-old Stanford A. Russell Jr. was arrested Thursday at his home on Jonathan Court in Pittsburgh after prosecutors said he fled a traffic stop. During his arrest, police said they recovered a revolver, firearms accessories and drugs.
Ten other people are also facing charges, and while authorities believe Russell was acting separately, the attorney general's office said some of those arrested are considered co-conspirators. The investigation into connections between those charged is ongoing.
What is a straw purchase?
According to the ATF, a straw purchase is when someone illegally buys a gun for someone else. It allows people like felons to bypass background checks and get weapons, and those weapons are usually used in violent crimes like homicides, robberies and "gang-related activities," the ATF says.
"Straw purchases and other illegal transfers of firearms are direct safety threats to our communities, and this task force is devoted to tracking offenders and the firearms which so often end up at violent crime scenes," Sunday said in a press release. "I commend the agencies involved in this case who worked together to stop an illegal flow of firearms."
The investigation was led by the Office of Attorney General's Allegheny County Gun Violence Task Force. Multiple agencies, including the FBI, Allegheny County police and Pittsburgh police, helped.
