WATERLOO, Iowa — Erion Marshai Gafeney, 24, was sentenced Wednesday to eight months in jail for her role in a straw man gun buying scheme that funneled firearms to individuals prohibited from owning them. She received an additional concurrent eight-month sentence for wire fraud related to a COVID-19 benefit scam, along with an order to pay $20,833 in restitution.
Following her jail term, Gafeney will be on supervised release for two years.
Court records state that on June 20, 2022, Gafeney entered a Cedar Falls store with three others—Daquavion Walker, DeMaurion Ambrose, and an individual identified as N.M. After browsing, the others left the gun counter while Gafeney completed the purchase of two 9mm handguns, a Glock 17 and a Glock 19, listing the firearms as hers on the paperwork. She then handed the guns off to the others waiting in a vehicle before leaving in a separate car.
Authorities say Gafeney knowingly transferred the guns to Ambrose and Walker, who were marijuana users and thus legally barred from possessing firearms.
The next day, Gafeney attempted to buy another handgun but was denied by store staff due to the suspicious prior transaction.
On January 26, 2023, police found one of the guns, a Glock 17, along with high-capacity magazines and over a kilogram of marijuana during a search of N.M. and Walker’s residence and vehicle. Walker later received a three-year prison sentence for possessing a firearm as a drug user.
In addition, Gafeney was charged with COVID-19 relief fraud after falsely claiming to own a catering business and receiving $20,833 in Paycheck Protection Program funds, which she spent without repaying.
