FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONDAY - April 11, 2011

RALEIGH PAWNSHOP ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today RYAN MATTHEW ALBERT, 22, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pled guilty before United States District Judge James C. Dever III, to aiding and abetting the possession of a stolen firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 911(j).

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on February 2, 2011.

According to the January 6, 2011, complaint, early in the morning on October 28, 2010, Arrow Pawn Shop on Crabtree Boulevard in Raleigh, was broken into and 29 firearms were stolen. When employees arrived later that same morning, the break-in was discovered and police were notified. It was determined that the intruder had entered through the roof by cutting a hole in the HVAC unit and then lowered into the store by using a rope. It was also determined that after emptying a tool box belonging to the store, the firearms had been hoisted in the toolbox from the store to the roof with a rope.

In January, 2011, law enforcement received information that ALBERT was selling stolen firearms. After verifying the information, a search warrant was obtained and executed of ALBERT’s residence. During the search, law enforcement recovered an FIE, model Tex, .22LR revolver; a Beretta, Model 92FS, 9mm pistol; a Fabrique Nationale, 9mm pistol; a Glock, model 26, 9mm pistol; two Glock, model 23, .40 caliber pistols; a Ruger, model P345, .45 pistol, and a Ruger model LCP, .380 pistol. ALBERT was taken into custody.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods(PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

At sentencing, set for the July 18, 2011, term of court, ALBERT, faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by up to three years’ supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes represented the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.