JAMESTOWN, ND ( KXNET ) — A Jamestown woman will spend the next 100 months in federal prison for firearms trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The more than eight-year sentence against April Bergman was handed down Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Fargo.

The case began with the burglary and theft of 35 firearms from a federal firearms licensed business in Jamestown in June 2023. Three of the firearms stolen in that burglary ended up in the possession of Bergman when, according to authorities, she engaged in trading methamphetamine for the firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in late June to early July 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. Bergman pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person March 11, 2024.

The case was prosecuted under new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target unlawful trafficking and purchasing of firearms.

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gave our prosecutors valuable tools to confront firearms trafficking,” said North Dakota District U.S. Attorney Max Schneider said. “As this strong sentence shows, we will aggressively use those tools to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and those who commit violent crimes.”

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