SEATTLE (AP) - A man accused of using a truck and a backhoe to break into two Washington state gun stores and steal dozens of firearms pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday.
The Seattle U.S. Attorney’s Office said 39-year-old Joey Maillet faces up to 10 years in prison for the thefts, though prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than six years.
Only four of the guns have been recovered - all in British Columbia, either at crimes scenes or on criminal suspects, the office said.
Maillet used a backhoe to ram the doors of Fred’s Guns in Sequim last April, and he used a stolen pickup truck to shatter the doors of All American Armory in Bow in May. He broke glass display cases at the Sequim store and cut his arm on the case, leaving his bood and fingerprints at the scene.
In all he stole nearly 40 guns.
A Ferndale police officer spotted and arrested Maillet a week after the break-in at All American Armory on a warrant from an unrelated burglary in Everett. Items in his backpack tied him to the gun thefts.
As part of his plea agreement he agreed to pay back the stores for the damage to the buildings and the value of the guns. He also must pay for the damage to the backhoe and truck he stole.
U.S. District Judge Richard Jones is scheduled to sentence Maillet on May 8.
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