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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Man pleads guilty in 'straw man' gun-buying conspiracy ... Siskiyous exempt from tighter stream buffer rules ... Former jail contractor gets probation for sex with inmates ... Man pleads guilty in 'straw man' gun-buying conspiracy ... Siskiyous exempt from tighter stream buffer rules ... Former jail contractor gets probation for sex with inmates ... COURTS Man pleads guilty in 'straw man' gun-buying conspiracy Dominique Agnimel, 26, to be sentenced Tuesday in Medford By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Nov. 6, 2015 @ 5:12 pm By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Nov. 6, 2015 @ 5:12 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A key figure in a high-profile "straw man" gun-buying conspiracy linked to the 2013 fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl in Grants Pass has pleaded guilty to weapons, drug and other charges in state and federal court. In the federal case, Dominique Agnimel, 26, of Medford pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a firearms application; being a drug user in possession of a firearm; and illegally selling a firearm to a felon. Those charges stem from a "straw purchase" prosecutors say was made at a Medford gun shop Feb. 7, 2014. Straw purchases involve one person purchasing a gun on behalf of another person to conceal the true buyer's identity, usually because the true buyer has a criminal record or is otherwise barred by law from possessing firearms. The plea agreement states that on that date, a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives paid Agnimel $1,000 to obtain an SCCY Firearms 9mm handgun and a Taurus .40-caliber pistol. Agnimel, who knew the buyer to be a convicted felon, gave some of the money to a cohort named Kalina Baines, and Baines bought the two guns at Medford Pawn, falsely claiming she was buying them for herself, according to the court document. Baines and Agnimel then gave the weapons to the informant, who paid them another $200. They didn't know at the time that the buyer was cooperating with the ATF. Agnimel, Baines and 29 others were indicted in July 2014 in a sweeping investigation dubbed "Operation Rap it Up" that authorities said broke up a conspiracy putting guns in the hands of violent street gangs in California. The investigation was sparked by the fatal shooting of 5-year-old Alysa Bobbitt, who was struck by a stray bullet while visiting a Grants Pass apartment July 27, 2013. The man who fired the bullet, Jon Meyer Jr., told authorities he had been examining a military style Russian-made SKS rifle when it accidentally discharged a burst after he tried to use it as a crutch to get off of a couch. The gunfire went through the ceiling and hit the girl, who was in an upstairs room. A friend of the girl's mother was seriously injured as well. Investigators in the case learned Meyer, now serving time for manslaughter in the shooting, had been acting as a straw buyer, purchasing guns for others. Authorities dug deeper and uncovered an organized straw-buying ring in Jackson and Josephine counties. Some of the guns bought later turned up at crime scenes in California. Agnimel, described by authorities as a key figure in the conspiracy, was also charged separately in state court in Jackson County. In September he pleaded guilty there to racketeering, unlawfully transferring a firearm to a felon, unlawful delivery of heroin and methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, child neglect and third-degree assault. The third-degree assault charge stemmed from an April 19, 2014, incident for which Agnimel was initially charged with attempted murder. Agnimel described his version of events that day in a letter to the court, saying the alleged victim in the case was actually the aggressor. "(He) pointed a gun in my face, pulled the trigger 3 times outside of the Four Daughters bar (in) downtown Medford … I checked my body to see if I was bleeding, I wasn't. I am lucky to be alive," Agnimel wrote. Baines, Agnimel's co-defendant, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of making a false statement on a firearms application. In state court, she pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering. Her state court sentencing is scheduled for January. Agnimel is scheduled to be sentenced on the state charges Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court. The federal sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for Jan. 12. Agnimel, a former South Medford High School soccer star, is an Ivory Coast national. The federal plea agreement states that his guilty pleas "make it practically inevitable and a virtual certainty that he will be removed or deported from the United States." Although he pleaded guilty to only three of 24 counts in his federal case, he admitted in his plea agreement that the facts alleged in the remaining counts are true. Those charges included conspiracy to falsify a firearms application, theft of government property and numerous other charges related to straw purchases of guns in Jackson and Josephine counties. Reach reporter Melissa McRobbie at 541-474-3806 or [email protected] By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Nov. 6, 2015 @ 5:12 pm » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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