An Indianapolis woman, Ashantae Corruthers, has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges relating to an illegal firearm purchase. The weapon in question was subsequently used in a fatal shooting of a Champaign, Illinois, police officer. According to U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois, Corruthers admitted to her role in a "straw purchase" scheme, buying a gun for a convicted felon who later used it to kill Officer Christopher Oberheim, and wound his partner, Officer Jeffrey Creel, in May 2021.
Corruthers, 30, carried out the purchase of a Glock 48, nine-millimeter, semi-automatic pistol along with ammunition at the direction of co-defendants Regina Lewis and the now-deceased Darion M. Lafayette. They falsified an ATF form during a transaction, declaring Corruthers as the legitimate buyer. Yet, the gun was for Lafayette, who had a prior felony conviction. A few weeks after reporting the weapon stolen, Lafayette used it in the fatal encounter with the officers.
Detailed in the same DOJ report, at the sentencing hearing, the prosecution pushed for a nine-year prison sentence, beyond the suggested 21 to 27 months, referencing the heinous outcome of the crime. Letters from Officer Oberheim's widow and daughters, along with a personal address from retired Officer Creel, supported the United States' request for a longer sentence. Ultimately, Judge Colin S. Bruce imposed just four years, apart from the argued guidelines and statutory penalties, which could have amounted to 25 years.
In addition to charges for the firearm purchase, Corruthers also faced counts for conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct, a testament to the concerted effort to obstruct the investigation into the weapon's true ownership trail. As reported by the DOJ, for her deceptive behavior post-shooting, Corruthers could have been sentenced to up to twenty years. Her co-defendant, Lewis, is presently serving 8 ½ years following her sentencing in late 2023. The case was spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller prosecuting.
