Valdosta Man Sentenced For Stolen Firearms

Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced that Robert Kier, Jr.,age 30, of Valdosta, Georgia, was sentenced on June 4, 2013 by Senior United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson to 168 months in prison to be followed by six (6) years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession and Sale of Stolen Firearms and Possession of Stolen Firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(j) and 924(a)(2) and Section 2.  Mr. Kier was ordered by the Court to pay restitution in the amount of $54,145.04.

According to the plea agreement, Mr. Kier admitted that in October of 2010, he stole a Shearwater boat in Marion County, Florida, which he later sold in Coffee County, Georgia.  He also admitted that he burglarized two homes in Echols County, Georgia, in October and November of 2010, where he stole 22 weapons, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, and three Polaris all-terrain vehicles.  The weapons from one burglary were recovered in Coffee County and in Florida after a co-defendant attempted to sell some of them.  The ATVs were later recovered in Madison County, Florida, in a trailer stolen from Lanier County, Georgia.  Mr. Kier also admitted that on Christmas Day of 2011 he stole a Ford truck in Madison County, Florida, which was later recovered following a wreck in Lowndes County, Georgia.  Mr. Kier admitted that he had stolen and been involved in the sale of numerous stolen vehicles and other items of equipment from various locations in Georgia and Florida.  Mr. Kier stipulated that he possessed and stole 22 firearms and other stolen property constituting a loss to the owners of that property of between $120,000.00 and $200,000.00.

“When Mr. Kier stole these guns, he guaranteed that my office would use our resources to find him and send him to prison,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Moore.

The case was investigated by the Echols County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with a number of other South Georgia and Florida local law enforcement agencies, including the Lowndes County and Coffee County Sheriff’s Offices and the Madison and Marion County Sheriff’s Offices in Florida.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. McCullers.

Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2602.