NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man is on his way to prison for “a sophisticated scheme to illegally obtain firearms,” during which he intercepted and stole firearms parts delivered to two licensed firearm dealers in Montgomery County.
Jesus DeJesus, 21, of the 400 block of West Indiana Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 1½ to 3 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of theft by unlawful taking of firearms and robbery in connection with two incidents that occurred between April and May 2024 in Lower Moreland.
Judge William R. Carpenter imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.
“What he admitted to doing was on multiple occasions stealing packages that contained firearms parts, specifically lowers,” said Assistant District Attorney Libby Ann Hemler, explaining that in Pennsylvania, you must be 21 to purchase handguns and lowers and file the proper federal paperwork. “Mr. DeJesus circumvented that process because he was not 21.”
DeJesus was 19 years old at the time and was prohibited by law from owning a firearm or purchasing lowers.
Hemler sought the state prison term for DeJesus.
“I think it goes to show how seriously we take gun crimes,” Hemler said.
Jesus DeJesus of Philadelphia is escorted by a deputy sheriff from a Montgomery County courtroom to begin his prison term. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. – MediaNews Group)
With the charges, authorities alleged DeJesus, on two occasions in April and May of 2024, ordered lower frames, or receivers, for Glock handguns from an online store that sells firearms and firearm parts and had the items shipped to two known federal firearms licensed dealers in Lower Moreland, unbeknownst to those dealers.
Under the law, lower frames for firearms must be shipped to designated federally licensed dealers, where the purchaser must then go to file proper federal paperwork to take possession of the items.
The lower frame or receiver of a handgun is the part of a firearm that integrates other components by providing housing for internal components such as the hammer and firing pin and has threaded interfaces for externally attaching components such as the barrel and trigger mechanism, according to court documents.
After ordering the items, tracking the deliveries and being alerted that they were delivered via FedEx, DeJesus went to the dealers’ addresses and intercepted the packages after they were left on the dealers’ porches, according to court documents.
Detectives traced the online orders to DeJesus and analyzed cellphone data that showed DeJesus’ phone was in the vicinity of both licensed firearms dealers’ residences at the time the packages were stolen.
“Our investigation indicates that DeJesus was an active participant behind a sophisticated scheme to illegally obtain firearms,” Montgomery County Detective David Holtzman and Lower Moreland Detective Corporal Christopher Daniel wrote in a criminal complaint.
Detectives alleged, “DeJesus’ scheme was to intercept these firearms shipments before they could reach the intended (licensed dealers’) locations, thereby circumventing the proper legal channels for firearms purchases and transfers.”