Bucks DA Jennifer Schorn: Straw purchaser sentenced to 8-20 years in state prison

A straw purchase scheme that put deadly weapons on the streets resulted in an eight-to-20-year prison sentence for a Delaware County woman on Thursday.

Demia Burell-Brinkley, 31, of Lansdowne, was sentenced for illegally buying four firearms in Bucks and Montgomery counties, with one of them later used in a Philadelphia homicide.

She pleaded guilty in March to four counts each of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, making false statements on firearm purchase forms, unlawful sales of firearms, sales to an ineligible transferee, firearm ownership – duty of other persons, and criminal conspiracy.

In addition to the state prison sentence, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley also ordered her not to possess any firearms or ammunition.

This investigation found that the defendant purchased four firearms on three occasions from July 2020 to May 2022 and sold them for $200 each.

In a July 28, 2020, purchase, Burrell-Brinkley bought a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber firearm at a gun store in Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County.

Twenty-four days later, Philadelphia Police responded to a fatal shooting on the 1300 block of North 10th Street. A fired .40-caliber cartridge recovered at the scene was later matched through ballistics testing to the Smith & Wesson firearm purchased by Burrell-Brinkley.

Two individuals found with the .40-caliber firearm in their possession were prohibited from legally owning firearms.

Further investigation found that on February 6, 2021, Burrell-Brinkley purchased two Glock firearms from Auger Precision Firearms in Croydon, Bristol Township, Bucks County.

Both of these firearms were later recovered in Philadelphia from individuals legally barred from possessing them. One of these Glock firearms was also linked to a separate shooting incident.

The fourth firearm involved in this scheme was purchased by Burrell-Brinkley on May 18, 2022, from a gun store in Norristown, Montgomery County. This firearm has not yet been recovered.

The investigation also determined that Burrell-Brinkley never reported any of the purchased firearms as stolen.

This case highlights the continued commitment by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and its partner agencies to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals engaged in straw purchasing, which poses a significant threat to public safety in our communities and beyond.

This case was investigated by Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Philadelphia Police Department.

Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon prosecuted this case.