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West Virginia Woman Admits to Stealing ID for Gun Purchase

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A federal prosecutor says a West Virginia woman who used a stolen identification card to buy a gun from a licensed dealer has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart says 36-year-old Erica Nicole Blake of Parkersburg entered the plea in federal court in Charleston.

Stuart says in a news release Blake used a stolen West Virginia driver’s license to pass a background check and buy a semiautomatic pistol in 2017. Three weeks later, the gun was recovered during a traffic stop.

The statement says Blake was prohibited from buying or possessing a gun after being convicted in 2012 of felony forgery and uttering.

Blake faces a mandatory sentence of two years in prison. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 14.