DENVER — A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for violent "smash and grab" burglaries at two gun stores, according to U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.
Jonathan Estrada was involved in an organization that stole vehicles and burglarized federal firearms licensees (FFLs), Dunn said.
>> The video above is a 2017 investigation into how often stolen firearms end up being used in crimes.
He pleaded guilty at hearing In November to multiple thefts of firearms from federal firearms licensees and a carjacking.
According to the plea agreement, on Sept. 19, 2017, Estrada and another person burglarized the Reloader’s Corner gun store in Arvada. He broke into the store by throwing rocks through the glass and then stole 17 firearms, the U.S. Attorney's office said. His DNA was found on the gun case counter.
Estrada and another person committed an armed carjacking on Dec. 26, 2017 in which they stole a 2008 white BMW, according to Dunn. Ten days later, on Jan. 5, 2018, a concerned citizen told the Denver Police Department (DPD) that his neighbors had discussed gun store burglaries and that one of them had been driving a white BMW.
During a search of that BMW, officers said they found three of the firearms that had been stolen from Reloader’s.
Dunn said Estrada and five others burglarized Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply in Littleton on Jan. 18, 2018. They entered the store by breaking the glass.
They stole thirteen AR-15 style firearms and left in a stolen Nissan, according to Dunn. That evening, ATF agents executed a search warrant at Estrada's apartment.
Agents found evidence related to the September and January burglaries.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.
Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
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