A 22-year-old Bethlehem man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for stealing 157 weapons from gun dealers in Pennsylvania. After pleading guilty to burglary charges, Ismael Terrero-Terrero was sentenced to 40 months in prison and ordered to pay $26,798 in restitution, according to a statement made by US Attorney David Metcalf.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Terrero-Terrero’s burglaries began on April 28, 2023, and continued throughout the summer. The bold activities were seen on CCTV, with Terrero-Terrero using a pry bar to break into the businesses and fleeing with a large number of weapons, including AK-style pistols and AR-style rifles. Officials were able to clearly trace the stolen guns, which were found in connection with crimes as far-flung as Connecticut and the Caribbean, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Metcalf.
“This defendant committed three separate burglaries, stealing an astonishing 157 firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “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.”
The arrest and subsequent sentencing of Terrero-Terrero are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaborative project aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. Despite the ability to quickly catch Terrero-Terrero, the weaponry he distributed aggravated the gun violence problem, with stolen guns frequently winding up in the hands of people intent on breaching the law. “Stolen guns are crime guns that endanger our communities,” Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division, announced, highlighting the risk that such thefts represent, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
