Retired judge from Grove City sentenced to federal prison
PITTSBURGH - A retired judge from Grove City has been sentenced to two years in prison for making a false statement to obtain a firearm.
A federal judge imposed the sentence on retired Administrative Law Judge, 79-year-old Karl Alexander following an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
According to information provided to the court during the September plea hearing, Alexander, who is also an attorney, lied to a licensed firearms dealer when he bought a Ruger AR556MPR AR-15 style rifle.
Alexander admitted that he lied on an ATF form by answering "Yes" to the question: "Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm listed on this form?" In fact, Alexander was buying the rifle for a convicted felon, Dennis Alan Riggs.
Alexander admitted that Riggs was with him for the purchase and that Riggs picked out the firearm and paid Alexander for the firearm. Alexander also admitted he agreed to purchase the weapon because of their personal relationship.
Riggs pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Robert Colville told Alexander that he should have known better than to purchase the firearm for a known felon, especially considering Alexander's prior lengthy tenure as an Administrative Law Judge.
In addition to 24 months in prison, Alexander was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and a fine of $10,000.00.
