Bay State man gets year in prison for trying to steal guns from N.H. stores

CONCORD - A 21-year-old Massachusetts man was sentenced on Thursday to 12 months in federal prison for conspiring to steal firearms from a New Hampshire Federal Firearm Licensee, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 23, 2022, William Guerrero, of Brighton, Mass., drove a stolen vehicle into the parking lot of Shooters Outpost, a Federal Firearm Licensee in Hooksett. Surveillance footage shows Guerrero and three other men attempting to get into the store by smashing a window by the rear door. The previous day, using the same stolen vehicle, three of the four men attempted to gain access to three other Federal Firearm Licensees in New Hampshire, court documents show.

Following his arrest, a search of Guerrero's telephones revealed a conversation in which he and his co-conspirators discussed breaking into gun stores.

"Those who conspire to come to New Hampshire to commit serious crimes such as these involving firearms, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said U.S. Attorney Jane Young. "Stopping the flow of stolen firearms into our communities remains a priority for this office."

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Andover Police Department, the Brentwood Police Department, the Haverhill Police Department, the Lawrence Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, the Methuen Police Department, the Milford Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, the Salem (NH) Police Department, the Somersworth Police Department, the Saugus Police Department, the Wellesley Police Department, and the Windham Police Department.