Florida Man Who Possessed Stolen Gun Silencers Is Sentenced

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RICHARD SLEEVA, 51, of Naples, Florida, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to three years of probation for possessing stolen firearms silencers.  SLEEVA was also ordered to perform 450 hours of community service.

According to court documents and statements made in court, SLEEVA was a Federal Firearms Licensee and had obtained silencers as a member of Gemtech’s Board of Directors prior to his removal from the Board in 2001.  When he was removed from the Board, SLEEVA failed to return the silencers after Gemtech repeatedly demanded that he do so.  Gemtech then reported the firearms as stolen.

SLEEVA’s Federal Firearms License expired in 2003.

On September 22, 2011, SLEEVA pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm and admitted that, from 2001 through September 2009, he unlawfully possessed three Gemtech firearms silencers at a former residence in Pennsylvania.

As part of the resolution of this case, SLEEVA agreed to forfeit approximately 117 firearms that he owned and possessed at residences in Pennsylvania and Newtown, Connecticut.  The firearms, which SLEEVA voluntarily turned over to ATF agents in 2009, include more than 40 firearms silencers, more than 40 short-barreled shotguns, as well as several machine guns, semi-automatic handguns and semi-automatic rifles.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance of Homeland Security Investigations.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Spector.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov