CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A woman charged with helping to illegally import firearms into the territory is fighting to have a judge suppress key evidence in the case, including incriminating photos taken from her cell phone, U.S. District Court documents indicate.
Natasha Natile France was charged in December with three counts of mailing forbidden firearms, and two counts of willful transfer, sale or transport of weapons to another unlicensed, out-of-state person.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is accusing France of conspiring to get legal gun owners to make “straw purchases” of guns on the mainland, which are then illegally mailed to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In February, Shawn Bernard Tyson of St. Thomas man was accused of conspiring with legal gun owners to “straw purchase” at least 60 firearms on the mainland and ship them into the territory illegally.
Tyson was located in Canada attempting to flee to Europe when federal authorities closed in on him and made an arrest.
France and Tyson were arraigned on March 13 and a trial date for the illegal gun case has been set for April 29 before U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez.
Tyson has previously served prison time for similar crimes a decade ago and as a convicted felon is forbidden from owning a firearm under the law.