Friday, July 28, 2017

ATF Offers Reward in Gun Store Theft



ATF, Monroeville Police Department and the Firearms Industry Seek the Public's Help in AAA Pawn Shop Firearms Theft

MONROEVILLE, Ala. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in conjunction with the Monroeville Police Department and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction for those responsible for the theft of firearms from AAA Pawn Shop, a federal firearm licensee (FFL).

On July 11, 2017, AAA Pawn Shop, 27 South Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Monroeville, was burglarized and approximately 20 firearms were reported stolen to the Monroeville Police Department. ATF industry operations investigators are in the process of conducting an inventory to determine the exact number of firearms stolen.

ATF is offering the reward in the amount of up to $2,500, which will be matched by the NSSF for a total reward of up to $ 5,000, for information regarding this crime. Anyone with information about this crime should contact the ATF at (800) ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867) or the Monroeville Police Department (251) 575-3249.  Information can also be sent to ATF via the mobile app www.reportit.com (link is external) by using the Nashville field division as the location.

This reward is part of a larger national cooperative initiative between the NSSF and ATF in which NSSF matches ATF’s reward in cases involving the theft of firearms from federally licensed firearms retailers. ATF works closely with members of the firearm industry to curb the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms.

ATF is the lead federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction involving firearms and violent crimes, and regulates the firearm industry.  More information about ATF and its programs is available at www.atf.gov.          

Portland Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Moses Okot, 29, of Portland was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Okot pled guilty on March 29, 2017.

Court records revealed that on November 16, 2015, Okot discharged a Springfield Armory USA Model SA XD-9 subcompact handgun in Portland’s Old Port district, striking two people standing on the sidewalk. Okot fled from the scene of the shooting in a vehicle. A Portland Police officer followed the vehicle to a residence in Portland. Okot was found hiding on a nearby third-story porch. The firearm used in the shooting was found in the vehicle. Okot was prohibited from possessing the firearm because of a 2011 conviction for felony murder.

The investigation was conducted by the Portland Police Department and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Portland, South Portland, and Lewiston Police Departments.

Lansing, Illinois Man Sentenced to 170 Months Imprisonment



For Distribution of Crack and Using A Firearm In Furtherance Of A Drug Trafficking Crime
HAMMOND - Acting United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson announced that Bobby Ray Dejohnette, 46, of Lansing, Illinois, was sentenced on July 26, 2017 by District Court Judge James T. Moody for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Dejohnette was sentenced to 170 months imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, in 2015 an investigation revealed that Dejohnette conspired with others to sell crack cocaine within the Northern District of Indiana.  A search of his then residence in Calumet City, Illinois revealed that he maintained both drugs and firearms within the residence.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, Hammond Police Department, Calumet City Police Department and with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.  Th

Gloucester County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to 114 Months in Prison for Weapons Charge



CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 114 months in prison for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a weapon, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

Darius A. Robinson, 35, of Westville, previously pleaded guilty before Judge Noel L. Hillman to Count 2 of an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a weapon. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Feb. 11, 2016, Robinson was arrested while in possession of a Titan .25-cal. handgun in Gloucester County. Robinson had previously been convicted on drug charges and sentenced to three years in prison.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Robinson to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito, Newark Field Division, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Carle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.