Judge sentences 2 Texas men in case of stolen 654 guns from UPS trailer

A judge sentenced two Texas men in federal court for stealing 654 firearms from United Parcel Service trailers in Springfield, Mo., en route to Bass Pro Shops.

Raynord Hunt, 36, and Keith Lowe, 29, both of Dallas, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Friday, June 21. Hunt was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison without parole. Lowe was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole.

Hunt and Lowe admitted they aided and abetted each other to steal cargo that was being shipped across state lines, from Beretta USA in Maryland to the state of Missouri. They also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting each other to possess stolen firearms.

Four co-defendants were sentenced on May 20, 2019. Frank McChriston, 35, of Dallas, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Derrick White, 33, of Dallas, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole. Quinton Haywood, 27, of Glenn Heights, Texas, was sentenced to seven years and six months in federal prison without parole. Eric White, 28, of Arlington, Texas, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole.

The court also ordered each of the defendants to pay $206,132 in restitution, for which they are jointly and severally liable.

According to court documents, the defendants stole 600 Beretta .380-caliber handguns and 54 Beretta 12-gauge shotguns from United Parcel Service (UPS) trailers in Springfield in October 2017.

The firearms were in the process of being shipped from Beretta Firearms in Maryland to Bass Pro Shops in Springfield. The trailers in which the firearms were shipped had been parked in the UPS freight lot in a configuration to prevent access to the trailer doors, by being parked back-to-back, with the roll-up doors facing each other. The trailers were then blocked by longer trailers, which should have acted as a preventative measure from someone backing a truck-tractor to the trailer and pulling it forward.

Sometime between noon on Oct. 28, 2017, and 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2017, thieves hot-wired two truck-tractors and used them to push and pull various trailers around the lot, allowing the thieves access to the trailer doors. UPS employees discovered the theft on Oct. 29, 2017, and notified law enforcement.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Dallas, Texas, Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety.