KC Reporter

A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the illegal straw purchase of a firearm recovered at the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station during the celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory on Feb. 14, 2024.

Ronnel Dewayne Williams, Jr., 22, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of a firearm.

By pleading guilty today, Williams admitted that he participated in the criminal conspiracy from Nov. 25, 2023, to Feb. 21, 2024. Williams made false statements to a licensed firearms dealer on Nov. 25, 2023, claiming he was the actual buyer of a Stag Arms lower receiver, which was intended to deceive the dealer into making the sale to Williams. Firearm receivers house the firing mechanism and other internal parts of a firearm and can be built into a complete firearm by adding components. By federal definition, a receiver is considered a firearm and is the only controlled component.

Williams admitted he was not the true buyer but was purchasing it on behalf of a co-conspirator who was not of lawful age to purchase it himself. He provided the firearm to his co-conspirator on the same day of purchase.

Law enforcement officers recovered the firearm with an affixed 300-blackout barrel on Feb. 14, 2024, in Kansas City following the mass shooting incident.

Williams also admitted that between Feb. 16 and Feb. 21, 2024, he provided materially false statements to federal law enforcement officers regarding the acquisition and disposition of the Stag Arms lower receiver.

Under federal statutes, Williams faces up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress for informational purposes; however, sentencing will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other factors after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess Michaelsen and investigated by the Kansas City Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through community collaboration and strategic enforcement priorities.

The prosecution also falls under new provisions from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act enacted in June 2022 targeting unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

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