Fourth Prison Sentence Handed Down In Gun Store Burglary Case

            LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The last of four men convicted of burglarizing and stealing 21 firearms from a Henderson, Nev. gun store in August 2011, was sentenced today to 2½ years in prison and three years of supervised release, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.           
Demario F. Edwards, 24, of North Las Vegas, who pleaded guilty in October 2013 to possession of a stolen firearm and theft from a federal firearms licensee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson. Three co-defendants charged in the case, Victor Williams, 21, Daryl Galtney, 25, and Frank Freeman, 27, also pleaded guilty and were sentenced last year to 37 months, 63 months, and 100 months in prison, respectively. 
“Many of these stolen firearms end up in the hands of criminals, who later commit crimes of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden.  “It is important to send a message to persons who steal firearms in burglaries and robberies that there are strong federal laws prohibiting this type of conduct and we will use them to keep the community safe.”
According to the court records, on Aug. 13, 2011, at approximately 3:30 a.m., one of the defendants drove a stolen Crown Victoria through the front entrance of a gun store in Henderson. Video surveillance shows a vehicle crashing through the window of the store and the defendants then entering the store.  Once inside, the defendants broke a glass display case and began stealing multiple firearms.  The defendants exited the store with 21 stolen handguns, and drove away in a separate vehicle, leaving the Crown Victoria inside the store.  Beginning in September 2011, investigators started recovering firearms that were stolen in the burglary, some of which were recovered in the Las Vegas area during searches of various residences and following a robbery and a homicide.  One of the guns, a .45 caliber handgun, was found in Edwards’ apartment in September 2011 when Nevada Probation and Parole Officers were conducting a compliance check. As a result, Edwards pleaded guilty in a separate federal case to felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to two years in prison which will run concurrent to today’s sentence.   

The case was investigated by ATF, with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Gang Crimes Bureau, the Henderson Police Department, and the North Las Vegas Police Department. The case was screened through the Southern Nevada Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, a team of federal and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors who meet on a regular basis to discuss arrests involving guns and explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods, also known as PSN, is a Department of Justice initiative and a nationwide commitment to reduce gun and gang crime in America.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Phillip N. Smith, Jr.