A Utah County couple is facing federal charges related to financial offenses after the U.S. Department of Justice found that they ran a gun and ammunition shop that allegedly was used to illegally gain thousands of dollars in funds from customers and financial firms.

Court documents claim that between December 2021 and January 2023, both 31-year-old John Earl Donaldson and his wife, 29-year-old Carlie Elizabeth Winters, of Saratoga Springs, conspired together to illegally obtain money from customers of the business Urban Armz LLC, a company they owned and operated.

The pair also allegedly obtained over $500,000 in donations intended for first responders serving in Ukrainian war zones.

According to documents, the couple reportedly lied about the company’s inventory as well as their ability to supply purchased items.

The indictment alleges that Donaldson falsely boasted that he could sell large quantities of ammunition to potential customers for competitively low prices.

In December 2021, a customer wired $90,000 to Urban Armz for 300,000 rounds of ammunition, which was never delivered, the criminal complaint claims. Donaldson and Winters allegedly spent the customer’s funds on transfers to unrelated parties.

Then in April 2022, a Detroit company reportedly paid Urban Armz $300,000 through wire transfers for body armor it intended to donate to first responders in Ukraine.

Urban Armz is accused of never delivering the body armor.

Two months later, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Ukrainian immigrants and refugees living in the United States paid Urban Armz more than $217,000 for night-vision goggles, thermal optics and other equipment for Ukrainian first responders serving in war zones, equipment said to have never been delivered.

Donaldson and Winters were arrested April 9, and the indictment was unsealed Monday by the federal court in St. George, where their company’s website falsely claimed the business had an office.

Both are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

An ongoing investigation of the case is being handled by the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office.

Newsletter