Opinion ID: 222607
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: False Statements to Firearms Dealers

Text: The facts underlying this issue are simple. Despite apparently residing at one residence in Newton at all relevant times to the crimes charged, Prince routinely purchased firearms using a different addressin another part of townthat was listed on his driver's license. This was a problem for Prince because ATF inquiries revealed he had never lived at the driver's license address. As explained above, to prove liability under § 924(a)(1)(A), the government had to establish three elements: (1) the dealers named in the indictment were federally licensed firearms dealers at the time the offenses occurred; (2) Prince made a false statement or representation in the records that the licensed firearm dealer was required by federal law to maintain; and (3) he made the false statement with knowledge of the falsity. See Jury Instruction No. 12. Prince argues the address information was immaterial, and therefore irrelevant, to the requirements of § 924(a)(1)(A), and that in any event, the government did not prove he used a false address when buying firearms. The voluminous evidence in the record belies Prince's contentions. As an initial matter, we hold that knowingly giving a false address when filling out ATF forms violates § 924(a)(1)(A). ATF Form 4473, which federally licensed firearms dealers must keep on file, requires a firearm purchaser to provide his current residence addressan out-of-date address listed on a driver's license would not sufficeand warns that the buyer's current residential address cannot be a post office box. See, e.g., Supp. R., Gov't Ex. 2F; see also United States v. Nelson, 221 F.3d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir.2000) (18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(5) requires licensed firearms dealers to keep records containing information about purchasers, including name, age, and place of residence; as a result, false statements relating to this information are prohibited under § 924(a)(1)(A)). Additionally, when he signed the ATF Form, Prince certified that he underst[ood] that making any false oral or written statement, or exhibiting any false or misrepresented identification with respect to this transaction, is a crime punishable as a felony. See, e.g., Supp. R., Gov't Ex. 2F. Accordingly, Prince was well aware that submitting false address information was a criminal act. Further, the evidence presented at trial gave the jury ample reason to conclude Prince knowingly lied about his address on ATF forms. First, the government established Prince never lived at the driver's license addressthe address he repeatedly provided when purchasing firearms. Detectives showed Prince's photo to the neighbors there, all of whom reported that Prince did not live at the apartment complex. Further, the property manager for the apartment complex scoured her records and found that since at least 2004, no one named Judah Prince or Rex Lutes (Prince's former name) had lived in any of the apartments. Witness testimony supported this evidence. In contrast, the evidence showed Prince resided full-time at the other residence, where the marijuana and firearms were found. Not only did Prince tell officers that this was his home address, they also discovered the deed and title for the home were in Prince's name, records showed he took out a mortgage on the home, and an employee of the power company testified that Prince had been paying the house's electric bills since January 2006. Moreover, during a search of Prince's house, an ATF agent found a mortgage document addressed to Prince at the home's address, and another ATF agent testified that the house bore indicia of active habitation, including clothing and personal items. Prince's neighbors corroborated this evidence. For example, one neighbor testified that Prince had moved to the house approximately three years before his arrest, that she saw Prince nearly every day and had regular conversations with him, and that she observed him working in his yard. Another neighbor told the jury he regularly saw Prince mowing his lawn and clearing his driveway. And a third neighbor recounted his occasional conversations with Prince and testified that Prince moved into the house years before the search and seizure. Thus, the jury heard ample evidence that Prince did not live at the address listed on his driver's license at any relevant timeand that he nevertheless listed that address on ATF forms when purchasing guns from federally licensed firearms dealers. We have no basis on which to overturn the jury's verdict.