Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Theft of 22 Firearms from J.T. Reid Gun Shop Leads to 12-Year Sentence for Biddeford Man
PORTLAND, Maine — A Biddeford man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for theft from a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL), possession of a stolen firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Tomas Johnson, 40, to 12 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty on April 27.
On Oct. 20, 2021, Johnson spent over an hour inside of J.T. Reid’s Gun Shop in Auburn. While there, he asked store employees about multiple firearms and handled a semi-automatic assault rifle with a large-capacity magazine attached to it. Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions.
On Oct. 24, 2021, Johnson threw a rock through the glass window of J.T. Reid’s front door. Johnson, wearing a hood, mask, and gloves, unlawfully entered the premises through the front door with a backpack and stole 22 firearms from J.T. Reid’s business inventory before fleeing the scene.
On Oct. 28, 2021, as part of the investigation to locate and apprehend Johnson, an undercover officer called a phone number associated with Johnson and arranged to buy a quantity of cocaine base from him. When investigators saw Johnson walking toward the agreed-upon location for the drug deal, they exited their vehicle to approach him and he fled on foot. During the pursuit, Johnson discarded a loaded firearm that was later identified as one of the firearms stolen from J.T. Reid’s. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a quantity of cocaine base.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Auburn Police Department and Lewiston Police Department investigated this case.
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