The United States Attorney’s Office has filed a civil forfeiture action concerning a U.S. Springfield Model 1868 Style Trapdoor Saddle Ring Carbine. This firearm, bearing serial number 1444, is believed to have been unlawfully removed from the Springfield Armory decades ago.
The Springfield Armory, based in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Artifacts within the armory's collection belong to the United States Government. The Model 1868 carbine, a variation of the model 1868 rifle, was designed in response to a request from the U.S. Army Chief of Ordnance in 1869 for a suitable cavalry breech-loading carbine. Only four of these carbines were ever produced by the Springfield Armory in 1869 and 1870, with two maintained in the Springfield collection and a third held by the Smithsonian. The fourth remains in private ownership.
The NPS identified one of its Model 1868 carbines as missing in 1985 and had received intermittent information over time indicating its presence among private collectors. Federal law enforcement commenced an investigation in 2023, resulting in the seizure of a carbine believed to be the missing Springfield Armory piece. Despite efforts to erase its identifying marks, evidence implies that the seized item is indeed the stolen carbine.
Originally established in 1777, the Springfield Armory served as a federal arsenal during the Revolutionary War. It remained under U.S. Army control until 1974, when Congress designated it as a national historic landmark and assigned management to the NPS. Since operating a museum on its premises in 1866, the armory has amassed a collection of artifacts.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, announced the action. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, is prosecuting the case. Civil forfeiture actions permit third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved prior to forfeiture and restitution to victims.
"The accusations in the complaint, and the description of the complaint, constitute allegations that certain property is subject to forfeiture. The United States must prove, by a standard of preponderance of the evidence, that the property is subject to forfeiture."
