A man pleaded guilty in a criminal scheme to steal 123 handguns by kidnapping the manager of a Michigan sporting goods store and forcing him at gunpoint to disable the alarm system. This act was described as being bold and if successful, would have led to the illegal distribution of firearms on the streets of Benton Harbor and beyond. The U.S. Attorney Mark Totten made this statement about Darnell Bishop’s actions.
Bishop acknowledged that both he and his brother handcuffed and blindfolded the store manager at his home, and then went on to commit the crime. He stole items from the store while his accomplice stayed with the manager. Evidence of the theft included video footage from the store. These criminal activities led to charges of kidnapping and brandishing a firearm during the crime of violence. Both Bishop and his accomplice faced life imprisonment for their actions.
An attempt to transfer money from the manager’s bank account using a cash app led investigators to one of the men involved in the crime. The handguns were worth over $100,000 according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, but thankfully all of them have been recovered. Bishop and Nance will face the consequences of their actions as they have already pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.