Former Mass. FedEx Driver Gets 6 Days in Stolen Gun Plot

A FedEx driver in Middleborough, Massachusetts received 6 days in prison and three years of supervised release for selling guns he stole from packages he was delivering. The sentence, delivered earlier this week, is the result of a plea deal to two counts of possession of a stolen firearm.

Should have gone with UPS

The Nightmare Scenario

We’ve all been there before. You find a great deal on a gun online, or maybe you track down your dream firearm on Gunbroker. You put in a bid, win, and pay the seller. Now, it’s time to play the waiting game as the seller ships your new gat to your local FFL.

You track the package online, constantly refreshing, impatiently waiting to watch the progress of your gun. Except instead of arriving at your local gun store, the tracking website just lists your package as “in transit.” Your heart sinks – it’s not coming.

You call the shipping company’s customer service line to find that your package has been lost in the mail. You’re distraught. If this was a rare firearm, it might be your only chance to grab it. You file a claim with the shipping company, and you’ll probably need to talk to the ATF, too.

The Story

That nightmare scenario is reality for victims of that Massachusetts FedEx driver, Frank O’Toole. O’Toole stole three different firearms between October of 2021 and June of 2022. The firearms were inside packages that he was supposed to deliver on his FedEx route. The packages contained a shotgun and two different rifles.

O’Toole was eventually arrested after he sold two separate guns to an FBI informant in August of 2022. O’Toole struck a plea deal with the prosecution, who only charged him with two counts of selling stolen weapons. The court sentenced him to six days in prison, with three years of supervised release afterwards.

Final Thoughts

It’s pretty incredible that this guy only got 6 days in jail for stealing and selling weapons. You’d think that if untraceable weapons like “ghost guns” were really a problem, authorities would actually do something to punish people who traffic stolen guns.

To put things in perspective, Massachusetts has safe firearm storage laws. According to the law on the books, a person can go to jail for up to 1½ years if they store their firearms improperly in their own homes.

In theory, you could have your guns stolen from you and spend more time in jail than this guy, who actually stole guns and sold them to criminals. There are people who are currently serving more time in jail for getting pulled over after drinking one too many beers than a guy who illegally trafficked stolen weapons.

Pretty wild when you think about it.