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Seven people involved in an Indianapolis-based theft ring that stole 240 firearms and sold them for a profit will each serve either prison time or probation after being sentenced earlier this month.
Bruce Williams, 33, faces the lengthiest prison term of the group after U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson sentenced him to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release.
Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Other people sentenced for their involvement in the firearm thefts were:
-Zackary Doss, 27, for conspiracy to to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms and possession of a firearm by a felon. Doss will serve 2.5 years in prison, with three years of supervised release.
-Dominique Ellison, 37, possession of a firearm by a felon. Ellison will serve 1.5 years in prison, with three years of supervised release.
-Antonio Grant, 33, conspiracy to to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms and possession of a firearm by a felon. Grant will serve three years of probation.
-Ryan Hurt, 30, conspiracy to to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms and possession of stolen firearms. Hurt will serve 4.5 years in prison, with three years of supervised release.
-Kevin Jones, Jr, 23, conspiracy to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms and possession or sale of stolen firearms. Jones will serve 3.5 years in prison, with three years of supervised release.
-Malyk Mendez, 32, conspiracy to receive, possess, store or sell stolen firearms. Mendez will serve 1.5 years in prison, with one year of supervised release.
According to court documents, Williams and Hurt—then employees at an Indianapolis shipping facility—masterminded a scheme to steal firearms and sell them for profit, utilizing accomplices Mendez and Grant.
Firearms were ultimately sold to individuals including Jones, Ellison and Doss.
Jones and Doss, in turn, then sold the firearms to numerous other individuals.
Between January and March 2022, the group made off with 240 firearms from four separate shipments headed for different states.
The stolen firearms included 174 9-mm semi-automatic handguns, 13 .38-caliber revolvers, two .22-caliber revolvers, 38 .45-caliber semi-automatic handguns. five semi-automatic rifles and eight 10-mm semi-automatic handguns.
Williams and Hurt kept some firearms from the thefts for themselves but recruited others to assist in locating buyers for the stolen guns. Williams also personally sold a substantial number of the stolen firearms.
Of the 240 firearms that were stolen, only 61 firearms had been recovered as of May 5, 2025.
Five of those firearms were recovered from Williams and Hurt upon their arrests.
The other firearms recovered have been found in a wide array of criminal activity and locations, including Indianapolis, Lafayette, Gary, Chicago, Florida, and Oklahoma.
The criminal activity has included felons possessing firearms, drug trafficking, domestic violence incidents, vehicle pursuits, shootings, carjackings, and homicides, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana’s Southern District.
“Stolen firearms are a major source of crime guns for violent offenders and pose a serious threat to public safety,” said John Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in a released statement. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we’re committed to stopping gun traffickers, recovering stolen weapons, and keeping them out of the hands of dangerous individuals.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case.
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