South King County man sentenced for ‘straw purchasing’ over 130 firearms

A South King County man received a three-year prison sentence in U.S. District Court in Seattle for his involvement in a straw purchasing scheme involving over 130 firearms, U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman announced Monday.

Dion Jamar Cooper, 33, of Kent, was arrested in April 2023 following an investigation by the Seattle Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

According to Unit 21, a firm that helps people fight fraud, the term “straw purchase” originates from the legal concept of a “straw man.” A straw man is someone who holds property to enable a transaction but doesn’t have any genuine interest in owning it.

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During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez emphasized the community impact, asking Cooper, “Do you understand the damage that has been done in the community? If people engage in straw purchasing and distribute the firearms in our community, or any community, there will be a serious consequence that follows.”

Gorman highlighted the ongoing repercussions of Cooper’s actions, noting 54 of the firearms he purchased have been recovered and linked to various crimes, including armed robberies, bank robberies, carjackings, assaults, drive-by shootings and at least one homicide.

The investigation began in late January 2023 after an assault and attempted robbery in Rainier Valley. The victim managed to escape, leaving behind a firearm purchased by Cooper in December 2022. This discovery led the ATF to review Cooper’s purchase history, revealing he had bought 107 firearms since June 2021, with the total eventually reaching 133. More than 70 of these firearms remain unaccounted for and are likely in the hands of individuals prohibited from possessing them.

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In March and April 2023, agents observed Cooper arranging additional firearm purchases. They identified De’ondre Lamontia Phillips, 33, of Federal Way, as Cooper’s accomplice. Phillips, who has prior convictions for heroin distribution and illegal firearm possession, drove Cooper to gun shops and stored the firearms at his residence. Phillips was sentenced to seven years in prison last month.

Cooper pleaded guilty in February 2024 to charges including making false statements in connection with firearm acquisitions, straw purchasing and firearm trafficking.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg, advocating for a maximum sentence, described Cooper as the “largest known straw purchaser of firearms in the history of the Western District of Washington.”

An ATF analysis revealed all recovered crime guns were found with people who kept them illegally.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.