Missouri Brothers Sentenced in Arkansas Gun Store Heist

In a brazen daylight setup followed by a nighttime smash-and-grab, Missouri brothers Jeremy Rusher, 39 of Seligman, Missouri, and Cory Rusher, 29 of Jane, Missouri, were sentenced to a combined 16 years in federal prison for the burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer in Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The heist, captured on surveillance video and unraveled by local and federal investigators, resulted in the theft of five handguns and a coordinated manhunt that spanned state lines.

Jeremy Rusher was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $2,650 fine. Cory Rusher received 78 months in prison, the same three-year supervised release term, and a matching $2,650 fine. Both defendants were ordered to pay $1,250 in restitution, jointly and severally, for damages tied to the burglary of the registered Federal Firearms Licensee. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks handed down the sentences during hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court records, on July 11, 2016, Pea Ridge Police responded to a reported break-in at the firearms business. The store manager provided surveillance footage showing Cory Rusher entering the premises and stealing five firearms. Earlier video from the same day revealed Cory Rusher, Jeremy Rusher, and a female companion casing the store for an extended period. Cory pawned an item during the visit and was seen wearing the same shirt in both the daytime visit and the nighttime burglary.

Just two days after the theft, on July 13, investigators tracked Jeremy Rusher to a trailer where they spotted two of the stolen firearms in plain view. After being advised of and waiving his Miranda rights, Jeremy admitted knowledge of the stolen guns. Multiple witnesses, including Cory Rusher, confirmed Jeremy’s role in aiding and abetting the theft. Cory was later apprehended and, after waiving his own rights, confessed to participating in the burglary and helped recover the remaining stolen weapons.

The brothers were each named in a federal indictment in August 2016, charged with one count of Aiding and Abetting the Theft of Firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee. Both pleaded guilty in October 2016, sealing their fates in a case that became a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. The program targets illegal gun possession and violent crime through joint federal, state, and local enforcement action across high-risk districts like the Western District of Arkansas.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with critical support from the Pea Ridge Police Department, the United States Marshal Service, and the Joplin, Missouri SWAT Team. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Harris and Denis Dean prosecuted the case for the United States. Court documents are available via the Public Access to Electronic Records (PACER) system at www.pacer.gov.