Woman sentenced to prison for selling stolen guns, including one later used to kill 4-year-old

SPOKANE — A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a woman to about two years in prison on Monday for her involvement in gun trafficking in 2021 that was associated with the death of a child, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Alondra Yanez, 25, of Othello, pleaded guilty last December to being a felon in possession of firearms.

Yanez and a co-defendant, Guillermo Valdez, burglarized a residence in Spokane on Feb. 24, 2021, and stole 11 firearms. Yanez helped Valdez sell them online using Facebook’s Messenger, the release said.

One of the stolen weapons was used three days later in the killing of a 4-year-old boy by his father in Othello.

“Ms. Yanez endangered our community by trafficking in stolen firearms. Her conduct directly led to the tragic homicide of a 4-year-old child,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref said. “I’m grateful for the joint efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, who helped bring Ms. Yanez to justice and who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and our neighborhoods strong.”

The weapons trafficking case involved a multi-agency investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Othello police, Moses Lake police, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol, the attorney’s office said.