Pottstown Bandit Sentenced for Swiping Revolutionary Rifle

PHILADELPHIA — In a stunning reversal of fortune for the defendant, Thomas Gavin, 78, of Pottstown, PA, received a sentence of one day in prison for his daring heist of a piece of American history. United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that the octogenarian was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, with the initial year spent under home confinement. Gavin faced a $25,000 fine and was directed to pay $23,385 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney.

The saga began in 1971 when Gavin, then a young thief, made off with a rare 1775 Christian Oerter Rifle from the Valley Forge State Park Museum. The rifle, a masterwork of its time, is one of two such firearms still extant with their original flint mechanism and maker’s markings. Its value exceeds $175,000, placing it alongside the other surviving Oerter Rifle in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle.

Gavin pleaded guilty to disposing of an object of cultural heritage stolen from a museum in July 2021, finally admitting his long-kept secret. The thief had hidden the rifle for over four decades before selling it in 2018 along with other pilfered artifacts.

“Stealing an artifact from a museum is a serious federal offense,” U.S. Attorney Williams emphasized. “After forty years, justice has caught up with this defendant. Thanks to our law enforcement partners, the Christian Oerter rifle is back where it belongs, in the hands of those who can appreciate its significance.”

Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division echoed the sentiment. “Thomas Gavin kept a piece of American history hidden for decades,” she said. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s dedication to protecting our cultural heritage and preserving the story of our nation.”

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team in collaboration with detectives from the Upper Merion Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney K.T. Newton handled the prosecution.