Indianapolis, IN- An Indianapolis woman will serve 21 months behind bars for illegally purchasing a firearm for her son while knowing he intended to use the firearm to commit a violent crime.
According to court documents, on March 13, 2021, 39-year-old Tyesha Clark of Indianapolis purchased a Glock 9MM handgun and ammunition from a firearms dealer in the city. During the transaction, she falsely certified on the legal paperwork that she was the actual buyer of the firearm. Clark actually purchased the firearm for her 16-year-old son. During her guilty plea in court, Clark admitted she knew or had reason to suspect at the very least that her son intended to use this weapon in a violent crime.
ATF Agents obtained text messages between Clark and her 16-year-old son that prove she had knowledge of this. Additionally, Clark sent text messages showing that she knew her son had a history of trading illegal guns on the street. The text messages further showed that Clark had reason to believe her son was dangerous, shot people, robbed people, and was involved in gang activity.
Further messages show that Clark not only disposed of firearms she believed her son had used in illegal activities but continued to purchase firearms to help further his criminal activities in addition to providing knowledge and assistance on removing potential evidence of illegal activity from social media.
Clark’s teenage son was not charged in the federal case, and he remains innocent of any crimes until proven guilty.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Clark be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following her release from federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
