A Jamaican man pleaded innocent August 8 in federal court for lying about his immigration status when trying to buy a gun.
Authorities say that on June 26, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Alex Dwayne Bignall, 30, of Jamaica, with lying about his immigration status while attempting to purchase a firearm, and attempting to receive a firearm knowing that such receipt would be a felony.
Bignall entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on August 8 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Bignall be released on conditions.
According to court records, in the summer of 2023, Bignall, who did not have legal status in the United States, attempted to buy a Taurus 9mm firearm from a federal firearms licensee in Vermont. In connection with that attempted purchase, Bignall filled out a form, swearing under oath that he was not an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.
At the time of the attempted firearm purchase, Bignall lacked legal status in the United States. Weeks before he attempted to purchase the firearm, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services denied an application Bignall had submitted for immigration benefits, and informed him he was no longer authorized to remain in the United States.
Bignall faces up to 15 years if convicted.