The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the information below:
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David
Metcalf announced that Ismael Terrero-Terrero, 22, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage to
40 months’ imprisonment and $26,798 in restitution for multiple burglaries in
which he stole more than 150 guns from licensed firearms dealers.
The defendant was charged by indictment in January of 2024, and
pleaded guilty this January to three counts of theft of firearms from a federal
firearms licensee and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
As detailed in court filings, on April 28, 2023, the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was notified of a burglary at a
Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Surveillance video
showed that, at approximately 2:40 a.m., the defendant used a pry bar to make
entrance into the building and immediately began taking AK-style pistols and
AR-style rifles from the wall. He then used the pry bar to break open three
glass display cases that contained pistols, placed the guns into a bag, and
exited the building with 29 stolen firearms.
In the early morning hours of June 29, 2023, law enforcement
officers were dispatched to an FFL in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, for a report of
a security alarm activation. Surveillance video showed that at approximately
1:35 a.m., the defendant and another man forced entry into the building. They
broke the firearm display cases with a metal tool, took handguns from the
display case and put them into a backpack. The men then exited the business and
fled the scene with 44 stolen firearms.
On August 11, 2023, at approximately 4:16 a.m., the Telford
Police Department (TPD) in Telford, Pennsylvania, received a notification of a
burglar alarm activation at an FFL in the borough. Approximately three minutes
later, a TPD officer arrived at the location and observed a male with a duffle
bag entering the passenger seat of a nearby vehicle, which immediately started
to flee from the officer. The officer’s pursuit of the vehicle was terminated a
short time later, consistent with TPD policy. Upon examination of the scene and
review of video surveillance footage, investigators determined that the
defendant and another man had forced entry into the FFL and smashed multiple
display cases containing firearms. The men then loaded numerous firearms into a
large bag and a rolling suitcase, leaving the store with 82 stolen firearms.
“This defendant committed three separate burglaries, stealing an
astonishing 157 firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “These guns have now
found their way into our communities and are being recovered in shootings and
other crimes from Connecticut to the Caribbean. Terrero-Terrero was actively
putting guns in criminals’ hands and the repercussions will continue, at
society’s expense. Public safety demands that we prevent offenders from getting
their hands on guns — and punish those providing a steady stream of illegal
weapons.”
“Stolen guns are crime guns that endanger our communities,” said
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division.
“Ismael Terrero-Terrero burglarized three Pennsylvania gun shops, stealing more
than 150 firearms connected to crimes up and down the East Coast and overseas.
Working with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police,
local police departments, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, this far-reaching and
dangerous criminal operation was ended, and the perpetrator is going to prison
for years.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program
bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve
to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer
for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime
reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering
trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based
organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place,
setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the
results.
The case was investigated by the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney.
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