A St. Charles man was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after admitting to stealing about 100 firearms from a storage site belonging to a federally licensed gun dealer in St. Louis County.
Jeremy Lorenz, 31, pleaded guilty last October to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Lorenz stole the guns on November 15, 2024, and was arrested four days later with two stolen weapons. Investigators also found six stolen guns in his car and another thirteen at his girlfriend’s home. During an interview with law enforcement, Lorenz admitted that he was a convicted felon and had stolen the firearms. He told agents he sold some of the guns; authorities have recovered approximately 75 of them so far.
“Stealing 100 firearms is a brazen act that puts communities at immediate risk,” said Bernard “Butch” Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. “We recovered most of the stolen firearms, but every weapon taken in this theft had the potential to fuel violent crime. Stolen guns routinely end up in the hands of people who are prohibited from possessing them. We are grateful for the successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the partnership from St. Louis County Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol that ensured justice was served. This case demonstrates that those who traffic in stolen guns will be held accountable.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation with assistance from local police agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole Frankenberg prosecuted the case.
