Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jose Fontanez, age 36, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to stealing firearms from Target Sports, Inc., a federally licensed firearms dealer in Glenville, New York.  Fontanez, whose criminal history includes a prior felony conviction, also pled guilty to possessing, concealing, and storing stolen firearms and being a felon in possession of firearms. 

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). 

As part of his guilty plea, Fontanez admitted that on the night of October 22, 2017, he and a co-conspirator broke into Target Sports while it was closed and stole more than 25 firearms from inside the gun store located on Saratoga Road.  The firearms included pistols, shotguns, and rifles.  With the assistance of various accomplices, Fontanez and his co-conspirator spent the following two days moving the stolen firearms between various locations in Schenectady and Amsterdam, New York, including private residences, a self-storage unit, and a motel.  Finally, as Fontanez further admitted, on October 24, 2017, he and his co-conspirator, with the help of yet more accomplices, transported the stolen firearms to Rochester, New York.  

Fontanez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2018 by Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue.  He faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of conviction, for a total of 30 years; a maximum $750,000 fine; and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. 

This case is being investigated by the ATF, New York State Police, and the Glenville Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne A. Myers and Joseph A. Giovannetti.