Tahlequah Daily Press

Local News

October 12, 2012

Pair gets 37 months in gun case

TAHLEQUAH — A Tahlequah couple received federal prison sentences Thursday for firearms charges.

Richard Dean Basnett, 61, and Jo June Ashing, also known as Jo June Maddy, 60, were both sentenced to 37 months in prison with 24 months of supervised release after their sentences end. Ashing was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine.

Basnett and Ashing were arrested last January as part of a multi-state, multi-agency theft ring discovery.

The two were accused in federal court of being felons in possession of firearms.

They were indicted in February 2012 after a local investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Both pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

Basnett and Ashing will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service pending transportation to a federal prison, where they will serve their time with no chance of parole, according to U.S. Attorney Mark Green’s office.

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