FARGO – April Bergman, 47, Minot, pleaded guilty Monday to firearms trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider announced.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about June 25, 2023, to July 9, 2023, Bergman received a Sig Sauer Model P365 9mm pistol, a Beretta Model PX4 Storm .40-caliber pistol and a Smith and Wesson Model M&P 40 Shield .40-caliber pistol from another person despite having reasonable cause to believe that receipt of these firearms would constitute a felony violation of federal firearms trafficking statutes. Bergman also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Bergman is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1. She faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for firearms trafficking, 15 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and a period of supervised release.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to using the tools Congress has provided to prosecute firearms trafficking,” Schneider said. “Aggressive prosecutions under these statutes will help keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and those who seek to use firearms to commit violent crime. I want to credit our partners in law enforcement and our career prosecutors for their work to secure this plea.”

This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the president signed in June 2022. The act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target unlawful trafficking and the purchase of firearms by a middleman for a prohibited person.