Joliet man admits stealing guns in Billings pawnshop burglary

BILLINGS - A Joliet man on Wednesday admitted to stealing firearms from a Billings pawnshop during a burglary, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Lucious Machiavelli, aka Robert Allen Boyden, 47, pleaded guilty to theft from a federal firearms licensee. Machiavelli faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Dec. 4. Machiavelli was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Sept. 11, 2023, Pawnbrokers West, a federal firearms licensee, in Billings, was burglarized shortly before 3 a.m. Ten firearms were stolen during the break in. Law enforcement learned that Machiavelli was involved in the burglary. Five of the stolen firearms were recovered from the residence of a co-defendant, who told law enforcement that Machiavelli had brought the guns to the residence. Another co-defendant told law enforcement that he and Machiavelli went into the pawn shop and stole the firearms.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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