United States v. Joshua Shuemake

BACKGROUND

I. Shuemake borrows a handgun from his friend,

despite a court order preventing him from having firearms. Joshua Shuemake served as a correctional officer at a federal detention center in SeaTac. He became entangled with the criminal justice system—outside of his workplace—in April 2021 when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend. A Washington state court issued a no-contact order against him, which prohibited him from possessing firearms. The state court also ordered Shuemake to surrender any firearms he may have. Shuemake, however, wanted to continue his private security side hustle at a local restaurant and bar. He asked to borrow a handgun from his close friend and co-worker,

USA V. SHUEMAKE

Luke Ulavale, who knew him for years and considered Shuemake to be his best friend. Being a loyal friend but not a model citizen, Ulavale agreed and lent Shuemake his gun. But unbeknownst to Shuemake, the local police feared he would not comply with the order to surrender firearms and had reached out to the FBI. The FBI executed a search warrant for his (new) girlfriend’s apartment, where Shuemake lived. The FBI found two…