In a recent sentencing, Jeremy Lorenz, a 31-year-old from St. Charles, has been ordered to serve 100 months in prison. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendant pleaded guilty back in October to possession of a firearm by a felon after he admitted to the theft of approximately 100 guns from a storage site in St. Louis County on November 15, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel handed down the sentence on Thursday. Having been arrested with a stolen pistol and shotgun just days after the heist, Lorenz was quickly implicated in the crime. After his arrest, officers found more evidence, including 13 stolen guns at his girlfriend's home. In an interview with investigators, Lorenz, being a convicted felon, admitted to stealing the guns and had sold some of them. So far, about 75 firearms have been recovered by authorities.
"Stealing 100 firearms is a brazen act that puts communities at immediate risk," Bernard “Butch” Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Kansas City Field Division, told the U.S. Attorney’s Office. "We recovered most of the stolen firearms, but every weapon taken in this theft had the potential to fuel violent crime." Hansen emphasized the threat posed by stolen guns, as they routinely end up in the hands of individuals prohibited from owning them, thereby jeopardizing community safety.
The joint investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, St. Louis County Police Department, and Missouri State Highway Patrol led to the successful prosecution of the case. The Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole Frankenberg, which spanned several months, was recognized for her diligent work. With most of the firearms now accounted for, Hansen expressed gratitude for the teamwork that secured a conviction and potentially averted further criminal activity sustained by the stolen weapons.
