Three Charged With Crimes Stemming From Theft of 58 Guns From Great Lakes Outdoor Supply

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment charging Dwayne Freeman, Edward E. Brown and Isabel Abdur-Razzaque with conspiracy, theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, being a felon in possession of firearms, and possession of stolen firearms, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Chris Sadowski, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, announced today.

Freeman, 41, Brown, 41 and Abdur-Razzaque, 51, all live in Cleveland.

The charges are a result of a joint investigation conducted by ATF, the Chester Township Police Department, Cleveland Police Department and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority relating to the burglary of Great Lakes Outdoor Supply in Chester Township.

Count 1 of the indictment charges that on or about August 13, 2010, Dwayne Freeman, Edward E. Brown and Isabel Abdur-Razzaque conspired to break into Great Lakes Outdoor Supply to steal firearms that they could sell at a later time. Abdur-Razzaque placed a bogus telephone call to the Chester Township Police Department, stating that she was being assaulted by her boyfriend. Police responded to the call at the address supplied by Abdur-Razzaque and discovered the address to be unoccupied. At the time police were responding to the bogus call, Freeman and Brown drove a van into Great Lakes Outdoor Supply and stole 58 firearms from the store's display cases.

Count 2 of the indictment charges Freeman, Brown and Abdur-Razzaque with the theft of the firearms from Great Lakes Outdoor Supply.

Count 3 of the indictment charges that on or about August 13, 2010, Freeman possessed the 58 stolen firearms, after he had been previously convicted of Robbery in the

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court

and Aggravated Robbery in the

Franklin County Common Pleas Court

.

Count 4 charges that on or about August 13, 2010, Brown possessed the 58 stolen firearms, after he had been previously convicted of Aggravated Burglary in the

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court

.

Counts 5 and 6 of the indictment charge that on or about August 31, 2010, Brown possessed stolen firearms, a Heckler & Koch, model SL8, .223 rifle, and a Smith & Wesson, model M&P, 9mm pistol, after his Aggravated Burglary conviction.

If convicted, the defendants' sentences will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The matter was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.