An Oakland man, Cody Smith, pleaded guilty on May 5 in U.S. District Court in Bangor to possessing stolen firearms.
Smith, age 24, admitted to breaking into a pawn shop in Waterville during the early morning hours of August 10, 2025. According to court records, he stole 23 handguns from the store. The burglary was recorded by surveillance cameras both inside the building and at nearby businesses. Within hours of the incident, Smith posted videos on social media displaying some of the stolen firearms and admitting to the break-in.
Smith faces up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after a presentence investigative report is completed by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence based on federal guidelines and statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the Waterville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and violent crime through collaboration with initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes like this one across Maine; it also handles civil matters involving the government and collects debts owed to federal agencies while collaborating with law enforcement partners statewide according to the official website.
