Firearms Missing From Sterling Firm Are Found in N.J.
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 18, 2000; Page B07
Mario Guzman worked as a manager at Heckler & Koch in Sterling for about five years, handling high-powered weapons sold to police, gun dealers and Navy SEALs. But when some of the guns disappeared from the warehouse this spring, so did he.
Now, Guzman, 27, who moved to New Jersey after his unexpected April resignation, is accused of taking 120 guns with him, federal law enforcement officials say.
Already, 10 of the weapons have surfaced in northern New Jersey. A few were recovered during drug arrests, authorities said. One was tossed in a sewer drain by a shooter who had used it to gun down a man on the street. And one was in the hands of a man killed in a shootout with police.
"It's what we call a very short crime time," said Joseph Green, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which is handling the case. "Our top priority is to find out where those guns are and get them out of the hands of criminals."
Guzman's attorney, Anthony Pope, said yesterday that his client is innocent. "He denies any involvement in this," Pope said. "He's a young kid. He's never been arrested for anything else in his entire life."
Green said officials at H&K, the U.S. distribution center for a major German gun manufacturer, first noticed a box of 40 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistols missing during a February inventory. But when they brought the problem to the attention of the manager, who happened to be Guzman, they were assured that the box was safely in the warehouse.
On April 1, Green said, Newark police recovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol after investigating a complaint that shots had been fired. ATF agents traced the weapon back to H&K, but company officials insisted that the weapon was in the warehouse. After police double-checked the serial number, the company searched for the gun and found that an entire box was missing.
Guzman resigned April 3, Green said. In the following days, H&K inventoried the warehouse and found three boxes of guns--either 9mm or .40-caliber weapons--missing but listed as being in stock. In the next few months, nine of the weapons surfaced on New Jersey streets.
H&K spokeswoman Jennifer Golisch said that as a manager, Guzman had unlimited access to the warehouse. She declined to comment on his history with the company but said officials there have been cooperating with federal authorities.
Heckler & Koch Inc., on Pacific Boulevard, is the U.S. affiliate of firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch, GmbH of Oberndorf, Germany. The company produces weapons including the MP5 submachine gun and USP pistols. H&K also provides training for police.
On April 9 and 12, Newark police seized two of the stolen guns, Green said.
On April 22, Elizabeth police fatally shot a suspect who had threatened officers with one of the weapons. The next day, Easter Sunday, Belleville officers learned that one of the guns had been used in a shooting that ended with a car chase and crash. That same week, Newark officers found yet another of the stolen weapons and linked it to an April 7 case in which a motorist had fired into the air after a traffic accident.
Authorities came across four more of the guns in May, June and July, Green said. He said agents still don't know for sure how the guns, which could fetch $700 to $1,000 on the street, were transported to New Jersey or how they were sold.
"That's what we're working on," Green said. "We want to find out how these individuals came into possession of these firearms. This is not typical firearms trafficking."
What agents do know, Green said, is that in March two packages were sent from H&K to Newark. One went to Guzman's mother and another to a friend.
Guzman, who was arrested Tuesday at a basement apartment he rented in his aunt's Newark house, is charged with shipping stolen firearms across state lines, Green said.
He appeared this week in federal court in New Jersey and was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bond. If convicted, Guzman would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, Green said.
Staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.
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Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited August 18, 2000).]
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 18, 2000; Page B07
Mario Guzman worked as a manager at Heckler & Koch in Sterling for about five years, handling high-powered weapons sold to police, gun dealers and Navy SEALs. But when some of the guns disappeared from the warehouse this spring, so did he.
Now, Guzman, 27, who moved to New Jersey after his unexpected April resignation, is accused of taking 120 guns with him, federal law enforcement officials say.
Already, 10 of the weapons have surfaced in northern New Jersey. A few were recovered during drug arrests, authorities said. One was tossed in a sewer drain by a shooter who had used it to gun down a man on the street. And one was in the hands of a man killed in a shootout with police.
"It's what we call a very short crime time," said Joseph Green, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which is handling the case. "Our top priority is to find out where those guns are and get them out of the hands of criminals."
Guzman's attorney, Anthony Pope, said yesterday that his client is innocent. "He denies any involvement in this," Pope said. "He's a young kid. He's never been arrested for anything else in his entire life."
Green said officials at H&K, the U.S. distribution center for a major German gun manufacturer, first noticed a box of 40 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistols missing during a February inventory. But when they brought the problem to the attention of the manager, who happened to be Guzman, they were assured that the box was safely in the warehouse.
On April 1, Green said, Newark police recovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol after investigating a complaint that shots had been fired. ATF agents traced the weapon back to H&K, but company officials insisted that the weapon was in the warehouse. After police double-checked the serial number, the company searched for the gun and found that an entire box was missing.
Guzman resigned April 3, Green said. In the following days, H&K inventoried the warehouse and found three boxes of guns--either 9mm or .40-caliber weapons--missing but listed as being in stock. In the next few months, nine of the weapons surfaced on New Jersey streets.
H&K spokeswoman Jennifer Golisch said that as a manager, Guzman had unlimited access to the warehouse. She declined to comment on his history with the company but said officials there have been cooperating with federal authorities.
Heckler & Koch Inc., on Pacific Boulevard, is the U.S. affiliate of firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch, GmbH of Oberndorf, Germany. The company produces weapons including the MP5 submachine gun and USP pistols. H&K also provides training for police.
On April 9 and 12, Newark police seized two of the stolen guns, Green said.
On April 22, Elizabeth police fatally shot a suspect who had threatened officers with one of the weapons. The next day, Easter Sunday, Belleville officers learned that one of the guns had been used in a shooting that ended with a car chase and crash. That same week, Newark officers found yet another of the stolen weapons and linked it to an April 7 case in which a motorist had fired into the air after a traffic accident.
Authorities came across four more of the guns in May, June and July, Green said. He said agents still don't know for sure how the guns, which could fetch $700 to $1,000 on the street, were transported to New Jersey or how they were sold.
"That's what we're working on," Green said. "We want to find out how these individuals came into possession of these firearms. This is not typical firearms trafficking."
What agents do know, Green said, is that in March two packages were sent from H&K to Newark. One went to Guzman's mother and another to a friend.
Guzman, who was arrested Tuesday at a basement apartment he rented in his aunt's Newark house, is charged with shipping stolen firearms across state lines, Green said.
He appeared this week in federal court in New Jersey and was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bond. If convicted, Guzman would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, Green said.
Staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.
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Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited August 18, 2000).]
