A Turner woman has been charged in federal court for allegedly buying 55 guns in Maine and giving them to other people in California.
Court documents say that Jennifer Scruggs purchased the firearms during 10 different trips last year to federally licensed dealers in Auburn, Turner and Whitefield. She eventually told federal investigators that she purchased the guns for two other people in California, who she said told her what to buy and who were local members of a gang.
Los Angeles police recovered two of the firearms, according to the court documents. One was taken by LA police last summer, after a suspect fired it into the air multiple times and shouted the name of a well-known gang.
Scruggs has been charged with 10 counts of making false statements to firearm dealers. The practice of buying a gun for someone else, known as a straw purchase, is illegal, and those who are convicted are subject to up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Scruggs was arrested Monday and made an initial appearance in federal district court in Portland.
