United States v. Ashantae Corruthers

── United States v. Ashantae Corruthers ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Date: April 27, 2026 Category: General In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ Nos. 24-2489 & 24-2672 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff–Appellee/ Cross-Appellant v. ASHANTAE CORRUTHERS, Defendant–Appellant/ Cross-Appellee. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. No. 22-20066-001 — Michael M. Mihm, Judge. ____________________ ARGUED SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 — DECIDED APRIL 27, 2026 ____________________ Before RIPPLE, LEE, and PRYOR, Circuit Judges. PRYOR, Circuit Judge. On October 4, 2022, a federal grand jury charged Ashantae Corruthers with conspiracy to illegally purchase and transfer a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (Count I), and conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1512(b)(3), 1512(k), and 2 (Count II). Corruthers later pled guilty to both charges and was 2 Nos. 24-2489 & 24-2672 sentenced to an above-guidelines sentence of 48 months’ im- prisonment. It is this sentence that is at issue in this appeal. We find no errors by the district court, so we affirm. I. BACKGROUND A. Factual Background Corruthers grew up in Kankakee, Illinois in the 1990s, where she became friends with Regina Lewis. In 2020, Cor- ruthers was living in Indianapolis, Indiana and Lewis in Nor- mal, Illinois. Lewis contacted Corruthers to request her assis- tance in purchasing a firearm for her cousin, Darrion Lafa- yette, in exchange for a couple hundred dollars. Corruthers agreed. In November 2020, Lafayette and Lewis traveled from Illi- nois to Indiana to complete the straw purchase. 1 After retriev- ing Corruthers, the group traveled to Indy Trading Post/Full Throttle Arms, located at 2851 Madison Avenue in Indianap- olis, Indiana to complete the firearm purchase. While La- feyette waited in the car, Corruthers and Lewis went inside the store. Once inside, Lewis texted Lafayette to confirm which firearm he wanted. Lafayette sent three text messages in response: “Glock 48,” “Get some shells too,” and “Hallow- tips [sic] if u can.” Corruthers, following Lafayette’s directive, purchased 50 rounds of Sellier & Bellot nine-millimeter ammunition and a Glock, Model 48, nine-millimeter, semiautomatic pistol, bear- ing serial number ADTZ976. To complete the purchase, 1 For purposes of this appeal, the term “straw purchase” refers to a trans- action where one person purchases a firearm for another person. See e.g., United States v. Inglese, 282 F.3d 528, 531–32 (7th Cir. 2002). Nos. 24-2489 & 24-2672 3 Corruthers filled out a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Form 4473, Firearms Transaction Record. Corruthers certified that she was the actual buyer of the firearm and that she was not purchasing the firearm on behalf of another. Completing the transaction, Corruthers and Lewis re- turned to the car with Lafayette. Corruthers then gave the firearm to Lewis, who then gave the gun to Lafayette. Three months later, on February 21, 2021, the Champaign, Illinois Police Department (CPD) responded to a call involv- ing a domestic dispute and gunshots being fired. When CPD officers arrived, it was reported that Lafayette shot a gun into the air as two women were arguing about their relationship with him. Lafayette then fled from the scene. CPD officers re- covered one cartridge casing stamped with “9x19 S&B 20.” On March 10, 2021, Lewis texted Lafayette asking for the model of the gun purchased for him by her and Corruthers