California Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for his Role in Illegal Firearms Purchases

CLEVELAND - A previously convicted felon from California has been sentenced to prison for traveling about 2,500 miles across the country to convince a 67-year old woman he met through online dating to purchase assault-style pistols on his behalf.

Chariece Chew, 32, of Hayward, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese after he was found guilty by a jury in August 2025 of the following offenses:

• Two Counts of Straw Purchasing of Firearms
• Two Counts of Felon in Possession of Firearms; previous convictions include Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in 2019

In 2024 Chew was active on an online dating app where he met a 67-year-old woman from Ohio. After conversing through the app, he took a Greyhound bus from California to Ohio to meet with her. During his visit, he asked her to help him purchase four AK-style pistols for his purported "security company."

The woman purchased two Micro Draco 7.62 caliber pistols at a Cleveland-area firearms dealer. She later went to a second location in Parma to purchase a Micro Draco and a Mini Draco, 7.62 caliber pistols for Chew. After Chew acquired the firearms from the woman, he returned to California on a Greyhound bus. One of the firearms acquired by Chew in Ohio was later recovered in Modesto, California.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Zarzycki, and Brenna Fasko for the Northern District of Ohio.