Three Rockland area men indicted on firearms charges

Three Rockland area defendants have been named in a secret federal indictment charging them with violating federal firearms laws.

Two of the defendants, Justin M. Philbrook, 20, of Rockland, and Mark W. Sanborn, 21, of Warren, have pleaded innocent in U.S. District Court in Bangor to charges of conspiring to receive, store and sell stolen firearms. The two men each had their bail set at $5,000.

No arraignment date has been set for the third defendant, Terry Weaver, 24, of Rockland, according to a federal court clerk.

The three defendants were arrested and prosecuted in conjunction with two national operations implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice: “Operation Achilles Heel” and “Operation Triggerlock.”

Operation Achilles Heel is designed to stop firearms offenders whose activities pose a potential for violence, while Operation Triggerlock assures the prosecution of defendants involved in weapons crimes and other violent crimes for which there now are enhanced federal penalties.

The three men were charged earlier this month by a federal grand jury in Bangor in a seven-count indictment.

All three were charged with conspiracy to receive and sell the weapons, which included a .270 Browning rifle, a .300 Savage Arms rifle, and a .257 Sturm Ruger rifle.

Weaver also was charged with receiving and storing the weapons, while Philbrook, who has a previous motor-vehicle burglary conviction, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sanborn, who also has a burglary conviction, also faces the same charge.

The three defendants also are charged with selling the weapons, according to the federal indictment.

If convicted as charged, Weaver faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. Philbrook faces a maximum sentence of 35 years and a $1 million fine. Sanborn faces a sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $750,000.

The indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, assisted by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and the Rockland Police Department.