Two Men Charged With Conspiring To Steal Guns From Suburban Chicago Firearms Dealer

CHICAGO — Two men have been charged in federal court with conspiring to steal a dozen handguns from a suburban Chicago firearms dealer.

RONEAL NIGHTENGALE and ERIC ROWE conspired to steal the guns from Shoot Point Blank, a firearms dealer and shooting range in Naperville, Ill., on June 1, 2020, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The indictment alleges that Nightengale drove Rowe and an unindicted co-conspirator to Shoot Point Blank around 9:00 p.m., and that Rowe and the co-conspirator burglarized the facility and stole the guns.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment charges Nightengale and Rowe with stealing the firearms, possessing the stolen firearms, and illegally possessing the firearms as previously convicted felons. 

Nightengale, 34, of Glendale Heights, Ill., was arrested earlier this month in Arizona.  He pleaded not guilty Tuesday during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani in Chicago.  A detention hearing is set for Thursday at 9:15 a.m.

Rowe, 36, of Bellwood, Ill., is not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen deTineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Robert Marshall, Chief of the Naperville Police Department.  Substantial assistance was provided by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey.

Each count of stealing firearms from a licensed firearms dealer, illegally possessing stolen firearms, and illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison, while the conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.  The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.