DOYLESTOWN, PA — A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison for illegally purchasing and reselling 20 firearms, many of which were later recovered at crime scenes across the region.
Jawone Shakour Williams, 33, pleaded guilty Monday before Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley to 59 felony counts, including dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, making false statements on firearm purchase forms, illegal sales of firearms, and sales to ineligible transferees.
Williams was arrested in 2024 following a multi-agency investigation into a three-year gun trafficking scheme. Investigators determined that between July 2019 and March 2022, he bought 20 handguns from licensed dealers in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware, and Lehigh counties. Nineteen of the purchases occurred between June 2021 and March 2022.
During each transaction, Williams falsely claimed the firearms were for personal use. Authorities later recovered several of the weapons at Philadelphia crime scenes, during traffic stops, and in the aftermath of shootings. Others were found in a stolen vehicle and even buried in the snow in the Poconos.
Cellphone records and emails linked Williams to multiple firearm purchases and online sales.
The investigation was conducted by the Bucks County Detectives, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Gun Violence Task Force, and other law enforcement partners, with firearm recoveries made by the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department, and the Upper Darby Township Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon, Chief of the Drugs and Firearm Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case.
District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said the sentencing demonstrates the county’s stance against straw purchasing. “The illegal straw purchase of firearms is a direct pipeline for weapons to end up in the hands of criminals, leading to violence in our communities,” she said. “This case sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this dangerous activity and will hold those responsible fully accountable for their actions.”
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