An American woman who flew to Australia with a gold-plated gun in her luggage has been sentenced to a year in jail, despite claiming she brought it with her for protection.
Liliana Goodson pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing an unauthorized firearm and illegally importing ammunition.
The 30-year-old was sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Monday to a 12-month jail term, of which four months will be served in full-time custody.
Goodson was detained immediately after the hearing and forced to remove her extensive jewelry before being handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.
She was initially arrested at Sydney Airport in April 2023, after customs officers discovered a 24-karat gold-plated pistol, valued at about $3,000, in her luggage.
The court was previously told he had come to Australia to attend clown school and claimed he brought the gun for protection.
Goodson had searched online to see if he was allowed to bring the gun into Australia, despite telling officers at the time that he forgot he had it with him.
When asked at the airport if he was carrying any prohibited items, Goodson claimed he was not, the court was told.
Liliana Goodson has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after bringing a gold firearm into Australia. He will serve four months in full-time custody (pictured arriving at court on Monday)
Liliana Goodson (pictured) traveled from Florida to attend clown school in Sydney, but will now spend time behind bars.
—What about the gun you have in your bag? a customs official asked him.
Goodson responded, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
A check of Goodson’s phone revealed that he had searched online for “can I have a gun in my suitcase?” and set a calendar entry with a note reminding you to “put the gun in the suitcase.”
Magistrate Susan Horan said there was a strong need to deter others from committing similar offenses in the future, which could only be achieved by a period of imprisonment.
“Australia has a strong stance against firearms,” he said.
Prosecutors previously claimed that the weapon appears particularly confrontational and would “terrorize members of the community,” with which Horan agreed.
The court heard American had searched online to see if he was allowed to carry a gun in his suitcase on his trip to Australia (pictured, the gold gun, valued at about $3,000).
When a customs officer asked him about the gun, Goodson replied that he had forgotten about it (pictured, an x-ray of his luggage with the gun).
Goodson told police he was actually “afraid” to fire the gun and hoped simply producing it would be enough to deter potential threats.
“If that wasn’t enough, I’d probably just use a whip,” Goodson said.
When asked where he planned to keep the gun while in Australia, he indicated under the passenger seat of a vehicle, the court was told.
The court was told in recent years Goodson used psychedelic drugs, synthetic cannabis and crystal amphetamines.