A 30-year-old West Haven man accused of selling stolen Smith & Wesson handguns has been sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
According to the release, Edwin Charon sold at least two of the 111 firearms stolen from the Smith & Wesson plant in Springfield on Nov. 8, 2012.
Elliot Perez and his alleged accomplice Michael Murphy have been charged in connection with the theft. They were arrested later that month but had already sold most of the guns on the black market in Bridgeport, the release says.
A person arrested in April 2013 for possessing one of the stolen guns had reportedly purchased the weapon from Charon at a West Haven storage locker, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Investigators searched the storage locker and found four handguns, including another stolen Smith & Wesson, and a stolen Ruger 9mm pistol loaded with a high-capacity magazine and 17 rounds of ammunition, the U.S. Attorney’s office says.
Charon is a previously convicted felon and it was illegal for him to possess those guns, according to the release.
Charon was arrested April 24, 2013 and has been in custody ever since. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon on Jan. 15 of this year and was sentenced today.
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Perez and Murphy have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
A Stratford teen was arrested last month for reportedly possessing one of the stolen guns.
