David Laguercia leaves the Federal Courthouse, in Bridgeport, Conn., after pleading guilty to technical violations to federal firearms laws. Laguercia is the owner of Riverview Sales, a gun store in East Windsor where Nancy Lanza bought the semiautomatic rifle that her son, Adam, used at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December.
Local news reports It was the sale of the gun used in the Newtown massacre that caught the feds' attention. But it was shoddy record-keeping unrelated to the shooting that landed Riverview Sales Inc. and its owner, David Laguercia, in federal court Thursday. There Laguercia, 56, and his East Windsor business pleaded guilty to federal misdemeanor charges. "This investigation of one of Connecticut's largest gun dealers revealed hundreds of record-keeping violations, improper sales, shoddy inventory procedures and seemingly non-existent store security," charged Acting U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly. "Federally licensed firearms dealers are our first line of defense in making sure that firearms don't wind up in the wrong hands, and gun dealers who don't follow the rules and violate federal law will be prosecuted." Each of the three charges to which Laguercia pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of one year prison term, five years of probation and up to $100,000 in fines. The prosecution did not link any of the violations to purchases by Lanza. However, it is expected that Laguercia will receive no prison time when he is sentenced on Nov. 14. As part of his plea bargain, Laguercia agreed to sell or consign for sale the store's 1,000-gun inventory before sentencing, and not to apply for a federal firearms dealer's license during the next five years. Altchiler said Riverview Sales is still in business, but sells only ammunition and firearm-related products like targets and holsters. The business has not sold guns since Dec. 20, when ATF searched the store, seized records and suspended Riverview's license, which has since been revoked.
