Gillespie, Reynolds Get 10+ Years for Stealing 60 Guns

John Gillespie, 19, of Cedar Rapids, and Jeremy Reynolds, 18, of Hiawatha, are headed deep into federal prison after admitting they ripped off 60 guns from two federally licensed dealers in Linn County, Iowa. The thefts, which targeted America’s Second Amendment Firearms and Midwest Shooting in June 2017, ended in swift arrests and, ultimately, sentences exceeding ten years behind bars.

Gillespie pleaded guilty on August 31, 2017, to two counts of theft from a federal firearms licensee. Reynolds followed suit on September 1, 2017, entering a guilty plea on the same charges. Both admitted during their plea hearings to burglary at the Cedar Rapids shop on June 3 and the Hiawatha store on June 16. The haul: 60 firearms—handguns, rifles, and shotguns—snatched and scattered into the criminal underground before cops closed the net.

Reynolds was caught near Midwest Shooting shortly after the second break-in, his movements raising red flags. Hours later, Gillespie was pulled over in a vehicle stuffed with stolen guns in a duffle bag. As officers processed him, he tried to ditch one of the firearms—stolen from the Cedar Rapids dealer—by tossing it into the back of a police cruiser. The move was caught on camera and sealed his fate in court.

On February 13, 2018, U.S. District Judge Linda R. Reade handed down justice: 131 months for Gillespie, 121 for Reynolds. Both will serve additional 3-year terms of supervised release. They’ve also been ordered to pay $200 in special assessments and $12,996.96 in restitution split between the two devastated businesses. No parole. No shortcuts. Just steel bars and a long road back.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by a coalition of agencies, including the ATF, Hiawatha Police, Cedar Rapids Police, and even the Loves Park Police Department in Illinois. The fast-breaking investigation and heavy sentences were delivered under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the DOJ’s hardline initiative to choke violent crime by targeting illegal gun flows.

Gillespie and Reynolds remain in U.S. Marshals custody, awaiting transfer to federal prison. Court records, including case files 17-CR-00050 and 17-CR-00051, are accessible via the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system. Follow updates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office at @USAO_NDIA.