Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Robert Gay, 35, of Gardiner, Maine pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records, on June 2, 2018, the defendant was hired to perform plumbing work at a residence in Scarborough, Maine. While working in the basement, the defendant came across and later stole a rifle that belonged to the homeowner. A search of the defendant’s cell phone revealed text conversations reflecting that the defendant stole the rifle and sold it to another individual. The purchaser was identified and the rifle was recovered and returned to the homeowner. The defendant was prohibited from possessing the rifle because he had two prior felony convictions for theft.
The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the Scarborough and Gardiner Police Departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
