A 23-year-old Italian national living in Woodbridge has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after using stolen identities to buy a gun online and attempting to order several more.
According to court documents, Wilford Amoako Osei used someone else’s name and credit card to place a $1,249 order for a firearm on June 2, 2024. He later picked up the weapon from a federally licensed dealer in Woodbridge on June 24.
After that, prosecutors say, he tried to repeat the crime—six more times between June 24 and August 30—using other people’s names and credit card numbers to buy firearms online. But this time, the orders were flagged and blocked.
In all cases, victims had no idea their information was being used until after the fact.
Federal prosecutors charged Osei with aggravated identity theft, a serious crime that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Authorities haven’t released information about how Osei accessed the victims’ personal data or what he planned to do with the firearms. There’s also no word yet on whether immigration enforcement will pursue any further action following his prison term.