Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOISE – A federal grand jury in Boise returned an indictment on November 13, 2024, charging Luke James Estep, 27, of Boise, with dealing firearms without a license, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
The two-count indictment alleges that in October 2024, Estep, who is not a licensed firearms dealer, was selling firearms. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Estep was arrested on November 14 and booked with the Ada County Jail. Estep appeared on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham and entered a plea of not guilty. A jury trial is scheduled for January 6, 2025, at the federal courthouse in Boise, before Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Meridian Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Horwitz is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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