Roanoke Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Role in Gun Store Heist

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke, Virginia man, illegally in possession of stolen firearms he purchased with drugs, was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison.

Justin Lyn Cumbee, 40, pled guilty in June to one count of possession of stolen firearms.

According to court documents, Cumbee came into possession of three stolen firearms associated with a gun heist carried out days earlier at a Fairlawn, Virginia pawn shop.

Several men, including defendants Ronald Perry, Malcolm Stanton, Michael Hall, and Austin Hixon, have all been charged for their roles in the burglary. 

On November 1, 2022, Perry broke into the 1st Pawn, and stole approximately 15 firearms. Following the burglary, Perry, Stanton and Hall divided up the stolen firearms, which were all semiautomatic handguns. Some of the firearms found their way to Hixon, who traded three guns to Cumbee in exchange for drugs.

Perry, Stanton, Hall, and Hixon have all been charged and face trial dates in the coming months.  

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanagh, and James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Pulaski County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, the Radford Police Department, the Christiansburg Police Department, the Virginia State Police Search and Recovery Team, and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly McGann and Lee Brett are prosecuting the case.