Snohomish County Woman Who Led Gun Trafficking Conspiracy Pleads Guilty to Gun and Drug Charges
Sentence Recommendation Between Seven and 10 Years in Prison

A 34-yearold woman from Marysville, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to unlawful dealing in firearms, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Heather Chancey, a/k/a Heather Lee Slater, was the leader of a group of four people indicted in July 2013, following an undercover investigation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, both sides will recommend between seven and 10 years in prison when Chancey is sentenced by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on February 3, 2014. The judge is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence up to 40 years allowed by law.

According to the indictment, on multiple occasions between October 2012 and January 2013, Heather Chancey and her co-conspirators sold guns to an undercover law enforcement agent. Most of the sales occurred in the parking lot of the Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville, Washington. Some of the sales occurred in other parking lots of businesses in Marysville or Arlington, Washington, or at a Marysville residence. Chancey was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a 2001 conviction for methamphetamine possession. Some of the guns she possessed and sold in this case include: two sawed off shotguns and 13 regular shotguns—some with no visible serial numbers; 21 rifles—some with obliterated serial numbers; and four handguns. In her plea agreement, Chancey admits making the sales or brokering the deals between the undercover officer and her co-conspirators. Chancey also admits an October 1, 2012 attempt to sell methamphetamine to the undercover officer at the same time she was selling him a firearm.

This investigation was conducted by the Snohomish Regional Gang and Drug Task Force, the Seattle Police Department, and the FBI. During the investigation, those agencies were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force; and the United States Marshal’s Violent Offender Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham.

Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.