Yesterday, a Kissimmee woman has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza to over three years in federal prison for her role in smuggling firearms internationally. Chrissie Fier Williams, 39, will serve three years and one month after pleading guilty to the charges on January 2, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Documents from the court case reveal that Williams had, on five different occasions between January 28, 2021, and October 4, 2022, attempted to stealthily send firearms, including pistols and AR-style rifles, parts, and ammunition, to Trinidad and Tobago. She camouflaged these items within shipments of household goods, prepared fake shipping documents to conceal their nature, and paid others to mistakenly submit the packages in their names.
Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, together with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, delved into Williams' operation. The materials smuggled included completed guns, gun parts that could be quickly assembled, and high-capacity magazines, such as a 65-round drum magazine and a 100-round drum magazine. Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill led the prosecution.
This case is a notable enforcement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a multipronged approach to reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice upped its commitment to PSN, aiming to strategically reinforce law enforcement partnerships and community-based crime prevention, in a bid to foster safer neighborhoods.
