Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing firearms stolen overnight from parked vehicles.

Jerel D. Jones, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to possessing at least seven stolen firearms.

Jones sold most of the stolen firearms to Blue Steel Guns & Ammo in Raytown, Mo. Jones sold two of the stolen firearms to Blue Steel Guns & Ammo on Sept. 22, 2015. One of the firearms was a Glock .40-caliber pistol that had been stolen overnight between Sept. 20 and 21, 2015, from a Chevrolet Tahoe in a parking lot in Olathe, Kan. The vehicle had the rear driver’s side window broken out. Also missing was $47,000 from the vehicle’s console. The second stolen firearm was a General George S. Patton Commemorative .45-caliber revolver that had been stolen overnight between Sept. 18 and 19, 2015. It was one of eight firearms taken from a parked Ford F150 in Olathe.

Jones also sold four more firearms that had been stolen from the Ford 150 to Blue Steel Guns & Ammo on other occasions, including a Remington 7mm rifle, a Ruger 10/22 Carbine .22-caliber rifle, and a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun sold on Sept. 19, 2015; and a Springfield 30-06 caliber rifle sold on Sept. 22, 2015.

On the same night the Glock .40-caliber pistol was stolen from the Chevrolet Tahoe between Sept. 20 and 21, a Ford Fusion was broken into in the same parking lot. The vehicle’s front passenger window had been broken out. Investigators recovered a palm print above the passenger door handle that was a match for Jones.

Jones also admitted that he traded a Glock 9mm pistol to Blue Steel Guns & Ammo for a different Glock (a .40-caliber pistol). In order to complete the trade, Jones had to fill out an ATF form that required him to answer 15 prohibiting questions, including, “Are you under indictment or information in any court for a felony, or any other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year.” Jones answered “NO” to this question, although he had been charged with receiving stolen property and had been to court four times prior to filling out the form. Jones later pawned the Glock .40-caliber pistol at Smart Pawn in Kansas City, Mo., for $300.

Under federal statutes, Jones is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce A. Rhoades. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

****************

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

Twitter:

@USAO_WDMO

Facebook:

http://www.Facebook.com/USAOMOW