Feds charge Philly man with straw purchases

A Philadelphia man was charged Thursday with lying to a federal firearms application to hide his purchase of a rifle and three handguns for a convicted felon.

Federal prosecutors say Robert Alton Stukes, 22, told clerks at the Delaware Valley Sports Center in Northeast Philadelphia that he was buying weapons he purchased in January and March for himself.

Instead, Stukes allegedly gave the guns to Anthony Andrews, a Northeast Philadelphia resident with a lengthy criminal history including convictions for assault and firearms charges.

If convicted, Stukes faces a sentence of at least 21 months in prison. Andrews has also been charged in a separate case. - Jeremy Roebuck