Isanti Man Arrested, Charged With Stealing Firearms From Shipments
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Jason Thomas Cikotte, 31, of Isanti, charging him with possession of stolen firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
According to court documents, beginning in August 2021, law enforcement began receiving notifications of firearm thefts from shipments to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs). The carrier for the firearms shipments was XPO Logistics, a logistics company with facilities in St. Cloud and Fridley. On March 9, 2022, XPO Logistics contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to report an additional 11 firearms were solen from a recent shipment, including one Century Arms model Draco NAK 9 9mm semiautomatic AK pistol, five Canik model Rival 9mm semiautomatic pistols, and five Canik model Rival 9mm semiautomatic pistols. The company’s security manager later notified law enforcement that they identified Cikotte as the person responsible for several thefts of firearms shipments over the course of almost a year. The security manager provided law enforcement with video evidence showing Cikotte removing boxes of firearms from shrink wrapped pallets, removing the firearms from the boxes, and carrying the firearms to his vehicle.
According to court documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cikotte’s Isanti residence. Inside the house, law enforcement found approximately 40 firearms, all of which appear to be firearms stolen from XPO Logistics, as well as tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and miscellaneous firearms parts and accessories. Following the search, after being advised of his rights, Cikotte admitted to having stolen the firearms, ammunition, and firearms parts and accessories from XPO Logistics.
Cikotte is charged with one count of possession of stolen firearms. He made his initial appearance on March 25, 2022, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF and the Isanti Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
