United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing of Ismael Terrero-Terrero, a 22-year-old from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Terrero-Terrero received a 40-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $26,798 in restitution for his involvement in multiple burglaries where he stole over 150 firearms from licensed dealers.
The defendant was indicted in January 2024 and pleaded guilty this January to three counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
According to court documents, on April 28, 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to a burglary at a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Surveillance footage showed Terrero-Terrero using a pry bar to enter the building around 2:40 a.m., taking AK-style pistols and AR-style rifles. He also broke open glass display cases containing pistols before leaving with 29 stolen firearms.
On June 29, 2023, law enforcement officers were called to an FFL in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania due to a security alarm. Surveillance video captured Terrero-Terrero and another individual entering the building at approximately 1:35 a.m., breaking display cases with metal tools and stealing handguns. They fled with 44 firearms.
A similar incident occurred on August 11, 2023, when Telford Police Department (TPD) responded to an alarm at an FFL in Telford. Officers observed a suspect entering a vehicle with a duffle bag filled with firearms before fleeing. Video footage revealed that Terrero-Terrero and an accomplice had forced entry into the store and stolen 82 firearms.
“This defendant committed three separate burglaries, stealing an astonishing 157 firearms,” stated U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “These guns have now found their way into our communities and are being recovered in shootings and other crimes from Connecticut to the Caribbean."
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division added: “Ismael Terrero-Terrero burglarized three Pennsylvania gun shops... Working with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau... this far-reaching and dangerous criminal operation was ended.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime by fostering trust within communities and setting strategic enforcement priorities.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney.
