Covington Man Gets 15 Years for Stealing 24 Guns

David Christopher Martin, 40, of Covington, Virginia, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after stealing 24 handguns from a licensed gun dealer and smuggling them across state lines with plans to sell the weapons. Martin, a previously convicted felon barred from possessing firearms, admitted to orchestrating a premeditated break-in at Mountain Top Hunting and Fishing on April 4, 2016, smashing the front door with a rock and looting the store’s handgun display.

U.S. Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced the sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, where Martin previously pled guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of transporting stolen firearms in interstate commerce from Virginia to South Carolina. In addition to his prison term, Martin was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the gun store owner, a $500 fine, and a $200 special assessment.

Martin didn’t act on impulse. Evidence revealed he spent days scouting the business, mapping the layout, inventory, and security systems. To ensure a clean getaway, he dismantled a section of fence at the rear of the store and purchased wire cutters specifically to disable what he believed was an alarm system. He targeted high-value handguns, stuffing them into a red bag before fleeing the scene.

Within hours of the burglary, Martin climbed into a van with a co-worker en route to a pressure washing job in Florida—bringing the stolen firearms with him. When the driver warned him to ditch anything illegal during the trip, Martin exited at a rest stop near Yemassee, South Carolina, and stashed the guns in nearby woods. He snapped a photo of a distinctive tree to mark the spot, but federal agents later recovered the cache using that very clue.

Martin admitted he planned to sell the stolen handguns for approximately $6,000 and split the profits with his girlfriend. His scheme unraveled quickly under the weight of a multi-state investigation involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Roanoke, Charleston, and Jacksonville, as well as local law enforcement in Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

“Since becoming the United States Attorney it has been one of my top priorities to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited users,” said U.S. Attorney Fishwick. “This defendant planned to not only possess firearms illegally but sell them to other prohibited users. I am thankful to the men and women who investigated this case and made our community safer by recovering many of these guns.” The case was prosecuted by Fishwick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Giorno.

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