Editor’s note: A previous article about Ross Heinzinger and Ashley Lewis, “Black Diamond couple charged with possessing automatic weapons, fentanyl distribution,” published Jan. 31, incorrectly reported that the couple were charged. They were being held on pending charges from a grand jury. The article has been updated.
Charges were officially filed last month against Black Diamond resident Ross Heinzinger and Ashley Lewis for the illegal possession of automatic weapons and controlled substances.
Heinzinger and Lewis were arrested Jan. 25 after evidence from a year-long investigation allegedly showed the two not only in possession of the alleged illegal weapons and drugs, but that they also attempted to sell them.
The pair were not officially charged until Feb. 7, when a grand jury returned an indictment accusing Heinzinger and Lewis of two counts possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute; two counts of possessing an illegal “machinegun”; one count of possessing an unregistered firearm; and one count of possessing an unregistered silencer.
According to charging documents, one of the automatic weapons charges details that Heinzinger and Lewis had at least 11 3D-printed “Glock Conversion Devices” in their possession, which are parts “intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.”
The other charge says the couple possessed two “privately made” (also known as 3D printed guns, or ghost guns) weapons that had the ability to shoot continuously without reloading or the need to pull the trigger more than once.
And while Heinzinger and Lewis are only charged with one count of possessing an unregistered firearm, the charge notes that they possessed at least four more privately-made firearms that lacked serial numbers
Lewis was arrainged on Feb. 14, pleaded not guilty, and was released on an Appearance Bond; Heinzinger pleaded not guilty on Feb. 20 and was detained at the Federal District Court.
A court date was scheduled for April 15, but the defense asked on March 12 that the court to move it to a later date, citing medical issues.
The court did not make a decision to continue the case by print deadline, but a cointinuation is typically granted at this point, a DOJ spokesperson said.
The charges against Heinzinger and Lewis are only allegations, and they are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
THE INVESTIGATION
The investigation into Heinzinger and Lewis started in December 2022, when the pair were arrested in Port Ludlow, Wa, after a deputy saw drug paraphernalia in their car when they appeared passed out. A search warrant of the car led to officers finding seven privately-made firearms, plus some Glock conversion devices, high capacity magazines, tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and hundred of pills, suspected to be fentanyl.
Heinzinger and Lewis were originally charged in Jefferson County on charges of drug distribution and for carrying a concealed weapon, but after obtaining a search warrant for Heinzinger’s phone, officers found “several videos… [that] document his sales of firearms to a convicted felon,” official documents from the U.S. Justice Department read.
Law enforcement raided their Black Diamond apartment, a Maple Valley storage unit, and four vehicles on Oct. 26, 2023, and confiscated 23 more firearms, four silencers, two ballistic vests, and 2,300 rounds of ammunition, and a “large amount” of pills, official documents alleged.
Heizingser and Lewis were away at the time, but were arrested outside their apartment on Jan. 25, 2024.
Their case is being held in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
According to the DOJ, the amount of drugs involved in the case means the couple face a mandatory five year prison sentence, with a maximum sentence of 40 years. Additionally, the firearm charges are punishable for up to ten years incarceration.
