A man and woman from the same town in Penobscot County pleaded guilty Tuesday to lying to a federal firearms dealer, according to U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank.
Zachary Morneault and Amy Bingaman, both 34 and from Levant, entered their pleas in U.S. District Court in Bangor. Bingaman also pleaded guilty to lying to a federal law enforcement officer.
Court records show that in February Morneault and Bingaman conspired with another individual to lie to a federal firearms dealer in Brewer in connection with the purchase of a .380-caliber handgun. Bingaman told the dealer that she was buying the firearm for herself when in fact she was purchasing it for another individual, who was compensating her, according to Frank.
When Bingaman was questioned by federal agents, she falsely stated that she had not purchased firearms for anyone else.
The handgun purchased by Bingaman was recovered during a subsequent search of a narcotics trafficking operation based in Brewer.
Morneault and Bingaman each could face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
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