BEAUMONT, Texas—An Ontario, Canada woman has been sentenced to 63 months (five years and three months) in federal prison for illegally possessing firearms in the Eastern District of Texas.
Jahtaya O’Dayjah Hamilton, 24, of Ontario, pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced on September 16, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
According to information presented in court, on November 6, 2024, Hamilton traveled from Canada to Houston, where she obtained 22 firearms, including four stolen firearms and a short-barrel rifle, from an unknown trafficker. She then hired a rideshare driver for transport, initially to New York state, before settling on a route to Little Rock, Arkansas.
The vehicle was stopped in Angelina County for a traffic violation. A search, prompted by the odor of marijuana, resulted in the discovery of the firearms and Hamilton’s subsequent arrest.
This case was investigated by the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative focused on eliminating transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.
