Stolen Firearms

-- Federal authorities are investigating whether any of the 26 AK-74 assault rifles and a Dragunov rifle stolen from the Fort Irwin Army Post has ended up in Fresno, California, a spokesman said Saturday.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals behind the July 15 theft of firearms from an army supply warehouse in Fort Irwin, California, an ATF official said.

The AK-74 is an updated version of the more commonly known AK-47. The modified version of the assault rifle was introduced by the Soviet army in the 1970s.

Authorities said some arrests were made after employees at the storage warehouse were interviewed, but no further details were available Saturday and other suspects were still being sought.

Federal authorities have received reports that some of the firearms have reached Fresno, and authorities have notified officials there of that possibility, a spokesman told CNN.

"Although our agents and officers are vigorously investigating this theft, we request the public's assistance to help us arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for this crime," special agent John A. Torres of the ATF's Los Angeles office said in a statement. "Community participation is necessary to improve the likelihood that ATF and our law enforcement partners will track down the firearms as well as the criminals who have sought to destabilize our community through illegal activity.".. UPDATE: Three Fort Irwin Soldiers have been sent to military prison after three general courts- martial found them guilty of conspiracy and theft of military firearms. Private first class Harvey DelValle II, Spc. Bladimir Rodriguez and Sgt. John Rodriguez have been transferred to the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. DelValle was convicted April 24 and sentenced to 12 years. Rodriguez (Spc.) was convicted Feb. 6 and given six years. Rodriguez (Sgt.) was convicted March 29 and is looking at 20 years of incarceration. They were also reduced to the grade of E-1 and given a bad conduct discharge from the Army. The three Soldiers had been assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, United States Army Garrison at Fort Irwin, where they had been serving as military police. In July 2011, they conspired to break into building 934 on Fort Irwin. They eventually stole 26 AK-74 assault rifles and a sniper rifle. They then sold the weapons to civilian criminal elements in Fresno, Calif. DellValle and Rodriguez (Sgt.) were also convicted of additional crimes committed prior to the theft of the weapons. The weapons theft investigation uncovered that Rodriguez (Sgt.) brought marijuana to Fort Irwin and both Soldiers had been selling it to teenagers in the community. It was also discovered that they had broken into and burglarized vehicles held in the Fort Irwin impound lot. Approximately two dozen vehicles had been targeted. The investigation that ultimately led to the convictions and sentencing was conducted by the Fort Irwin Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A Department of Justice press release from April 24 states that an additional 13 individuals have been charged with crimes stemming from the theft of the firearms. Those civilian cases are being processed by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California, which is located in Fresno. Charges in those cases include the unauthorized sale of government property, possession of stolen machine guns, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, and making false statements. The DOJ press release indicated that three of the civilian defendants have already received sentences ranging from two years and four months to four years. The latest defendant to plead guilty is facing as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for possessing a machine gun. UPDATE #2: April 24, 2012 FRESNO • A California man has pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun stolen from Fort Irwin last summer. Federal prosecutors in Fresno say 21-year-old Noe Ramos bought and sold two AK-74 machine guns that were stolen from Fort Irwin north of Barstow. Twenty-six machine guns and a Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a warehouse on the military base on July 15, 2011. Investigators have recovered 13 of the weapons. Ramos pleaded guilty on Monday and is facing 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he’s sentenced on July 2, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Army soldiers charged with conspiring to steal the Fort Irwin weapons are being prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The status of the 12 remaining defendants charged in Fresno federal court in this investigation are as follows: • Vincent Hernandez was sentenced to four years in prison and Moses Zapien was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for possession of stolen machine guns. • Mark Nino de Rivera was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for false statements to a federal law enforcement officer. • Ray Anthony Lorona has been indicted for possession of a sawed-off shotgun. • Mohammad Michael Odeh and Nicole Perez have been indicted on charges of possession of stolen firearms and accessory after the fact. • Mustafa Mitchell has been indicted for possession of a machine gun. • Steven Bustamante has been indicted for possession of a machine gun and unauthorized sale of government property. • Esther Walker was charged with making false statements to federal agents. • Christopher Schriner pleaded guilty to concealment of a felony and is scheduled for sentencing on May 21. • Raymond Galvan Lorona pleaded guilty to concealment of a felony and is scheduled for sentencing on April 30. • Nathaniel Granados pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun and is scheduled for sentencing on June 4.