Billings man admits to stealing guns in pawnshop burglary

BILLINGS — A Billings man accused of breaking into a Billings pawnshop and stealing firearms admitted today to a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Jesse Ambrose Deaguero, 42, pleaded guilty to theft from a federal firearms licensee. Deaguero faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Deaguero was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Sept. 11, 2023, Pawnbrokers West, a federal firearms licensee, was burglarized shortly before 3 a.m. Ten firearms were stolen. A law enforcement investigation learned that Deaguero was involved in the burglary and five of the stolen firearms were recovered the next day from a residence. In an interview, Deaguero stated that he and a co-defendant, Lucious Machiavelli, went into the pawn shop and stole the firearms. Deaguero told investigators that he cut the lock off the firearms, and the guns were loaded into a car. Machiavelli pleaded guilty last month to charges in the case and is pending sentencing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department, with assistance from the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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