Erie Man Charged With Possessing Unregistered Firearms. Manufacturing Explosive Devices

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal gun laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on August 19, and unsealed today, named Gerald Szymanowski, 66, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the court, on or about June 19, 2014, Szymanowski possessed approximately 38 unregistered firearms, including machineguns, silencers and destructive devices not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer record and manufactured approximately 372 devices of varying sizes containing explosive materials.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.