South Windsor Man Sentenced in Gun Thefts

Jordan Marsh, the South Windsor man convicted of stealing a semi-automatic rifle from Riverview Gun Sales in East Windsor was sentenced to five years probation in federal court, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. A state sentence will keep him behind bars for eight years.

According to court documents, Marsh, 27, stole a Windham Weaponry 5.56 mm caliber semi-automatic rifle from Riverview on Dec. 11 2012 while on probation for stealing 12 firearms from the store earlier in the year.

Employees of the store were unaware Marsh had taken the rifle until Hartford Police found it while searching his hotel room Dec. 17, two days after Marsh was arrested for attempting to steal a Bushmaster .50 caliber rifle. Surveillance footage from the store showed Marsh taking the weapon.

Marsh pleaded guilty to charges of firearm and probation violation offenses. 

According to the release, Judge Michael Shea imposed the maximum probation sentence allowable. Special conditions of his probation also prohibit Marsh from entering a gun store or associating with anyone who sells firearms. He will not be allowed to buy or possess firearms and his internet activity will be monitored for attempts to buy guns online. Marsh and his home will also be subject to searches by the U.S. Probation Office and Marsh was ordered to receive mental health counseling and treatment.

Marsh's stepmother reportedly said that Marsh was schizophrenic and had sustained a traumatic brain injury. When he stopped taking his medication, she said, he heard voices and started behaving erratically.

Marsh reportedly told a Hartford detective that he needed the guns because he was being teased at work but later lost his job.

The court expressed concern that Marsh was a danger to the public and that the maximum term of federal supervision was necessary to make sure that he did not re-offend, the release said.

“By imposing the longest term of probation available, today’s federal sentence supplements the state court’s eight-year jail sentence by maximizing the protection afforded to society and simultaneously providing the defendant with the supervision and mental health counseling he so clearly needs,” stated U.S. Attorney Daly.

The store, which also sold Nancy Lanza the gun used in the Sandy Hook massacre, was shut down earlier this year and its owner convicted of failing to do background checks and falsifying records.

On Aug. 22, 2013, David Laguercia, the store’s owner, pleaded guilty to one count of transfer of a firearm before completion of background check, and one count of failure to maintain proper firearm records. Laguercia also entered a guilty plea on behalf of Riverview Sales, Inc. to one count of making false entries in dealer’s records. Laguercia and his business await sentencing.