FedEx Employee Charged With Stealing 146 Guns

[Karl/PA]

http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2...d_with_st.html

FedEx employee charged with stealing 146 guns
by Jeff Whelan/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday August 13, 2008, 6:03 AM

A FedEx cargo handler stole 146 handguns from the Monmouth County facility where he worked and enlisted a friend to help sell the weapons at public housing projects in Jersey City and on the streets of Newark and East Orange, federal investigators said Tuesday.

The scheme began to fall apart when frustrated residents complained to Jersey City police, who then used a sting operation to capture the suspects, authorities said.

Federal agents are now trying to trace dozens of the stolen weapons, many of which they said were sold for between $300 and $500 each or traded for drugs.

"This is a huge number of guns. Our primary goal is to find out where the remaining guns are. We want them in our custody. We don't want them in the hands of criminals or gang members," said special agent Joseph Green, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The two suspects, Patrick Dolan, 28, of Keyport and John Sozomenou, 32, of Aberdeen, surrendered at federal district court in Newark today. U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz ordered them both released on $200,000 bond.

They were charged with conspiracy to possess and sell stolen firearms and face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gribko, who is prosecuting the case.

The conspiracy began in October when Dolan stole a single handgun from the Federal Express facility in Eatontown, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today.

In May, he allegedly stole a shipment of 75 guns from a conveyor belt. The weapons were manufactured by Bersa in Argentina and destined for a southern New Jersey importer, authorities said. Days later, the complaint stated, he stole another shipment of 70 guns from Argentina.

But as Dolan grew bolder, authorities said, he and Sozomenou began raising eyebrows on the streets. Jersey City residents complained to police in May that two white males were selling handguns at three different public housing complexes, the complaint stated.

Tipsters said the guns, new and in their original boxes, were being sold out of a white Ford Bronco and a blue BMW, authorities said. One tipster caught the license plate of the BMW, which police traced to Dolan's girlfriend, according to the complaint.

Authorities used a confidential informant to set up a sting. The informant contacted Dolan and Sozomenou, who agreed to sell about a dozen handguns for approximately $300 apiece.

On May 29, the two suspects showed up at the buy in the Ford Bronco and were arrested. Police found a green army bag in the vehicle with eight Bersa .380-caliber handguns and one Comanche .22-caliber nine-shot revolver, according to the complaint. Authorities said all of the weapons had been stolen from the FedEx facility.

Police also recovered two loaded weapons hidden inside the steering wheel: a Bersa .380-caliber handgun, and a Bersa .40-caliber handgun, both also stolen from FedEx, authorities said.

Both suspects confessed, according to the complaint. They first were charged at the local level, but federal authorities, who can seek stiffer penalties, took over the case.

Greg Tomczak, who represents Dolan, and Peter Willis, who represents Sozomenou, both declined to comment today.

Jim McCluskey, a spokesman for FedEx, said Dolan was fired after his initial arrest in May. He said the company cooperated with investigators.

"It appears to be an isolated issue. We have very tight security procedures in place. We don't tolerate any type of illegal activity in our company," McCluskey said.

He said that in order to ship guns through the U.S. with FedEx, either the shipper or recipient must be a licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer or collector and the shipment must be in compliance with federal, state and local laws.

[LowFlyer]

[url]FedEx employee charged with stealing 146 guns.

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"....We have very tight security procedures in place. We don't tolerate any type of illegal activity in our company," McCluskey said.

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How tight are their security procedures if 146 guns are stolen???

[RandomTask]

Wow... I take back my previous statement where I referred to UPS workers as "Thugs."

[Dredly]

wow how do you get away with a box that weighs 100+ pounds from a secure facility? We aren't talking about a small box here...

[LorDiego01]

At least he showed good taste in firearms.

Bersas are fine weapons.

[Xringshooter]

Ever go into one of those facilities at night when they are sorting and loading trucks? Very few people and the supervisors routinely are not in the bays with the workers. It wouldn't be that hard to take a package off the belt and set it underneath until you had a chance to take it to your car with no one seeing you.

Also, although there is supposed to be nothing on the box that identifies that they contain firearms, they probably suspected that it did by the address it was going to (or coming from). I know (personal experience, I ship guns using both companies) that the shipping labels for both UPS and FedEX do not have anything on the labels saying what the contents are, they only have the shipper and receiver name and address.

[NineseveN]

Ever go into one of those facilities at night when they are sorting and loading trucks? Very few people and the supervisors routinely are not in the bays with the workers. It wouldn't be that hard to take a package off the belt and set it underneath until you had a chance to take it to your car with no one seeing you.

Also, although there is supposed to be nothing on the box that identifies that they contain firearms, they probably suspected that it did by the address it was going to (or coming from). I know (personal experience, I ship guns using both companies) that the shipping labels for both UPS and FedEX do not have anything on the labels saying what the contents are, they only have the shipper and receiver name and address.

Actually, both UPS and Fedex have identified firearms when shipped to me or my FFL dealer...I called and raised hell in all 4 cases. But you're right, they shouldn't.

[Xringshooter]

NineseveN, Wow, not right. If I had a complaint, with what I know now, I wouldn't talk to anyone but the top dog of the facility or go higher. Their own regs state it in black and white, I was shown by the manager of the UPS terminal here in State College. The first time I shipped a gun through them I asked a bunch of questions that the clerk on duty couldn't answer so he got the manager for me. I'll see if I can find it and post it.

[Dredly]

Its not rocket science to find these boxes...

1. It says "BERSA Firearms Inc" on the from label

2. It was shipped Overnight air (As all handguns must be)

3. It says "Adult Signature required"

I don't think you can actually mark a box "firearms" but it wouldn't be hard to find a box with the required criteria on it.

The only hard part I thought would be getting it out as 75 pistols would make a pretty big box but I guess on the night shift just about anything can happen

[NineseveN]

NineseveN, Wow, not right. If I had a complaint, with what I know now, I wouldn't talk to anyone but the top dog of the facility or go higher. Their own regs state it in black and white, I was shown by the manager of the UPS terminal here in State College. The first time I shipped a gun through them I asked a bunch of questions that the clerk on duty couldn't answer so he got the manager for me. I'll see if I can find it and post it.

Well, it was two times in a row with UPS and I just didn't notice until the second time, they corrected that one real quick by dealing witht the clerk that did it.

The FedEx instances were a little less fruitful to be honest, not sure if they ever figured it out, I just stopped using them as dealing with them became a pain.