March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Bangor man indicted on gun charges

BANGOR — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Bangor man on multiple firearms charges.

Kenneth P. Stathopolous, 32, of 72 Cedar St. was charged with two counts of possession of firearms and 11 counts of making false statements on firearm purchase forms.

The indictment alleged that between November 1992 and March 1995, Stathopolous answered “no” on 11 firearm purchase forms that asked if he had been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison.

In fact, Stathopolous had been convicted of motor vehicle theft in Massachusetts in 1982.

Count 12 of the indictment alleges a false statement made in a form mandated by the Brady law, which requires anyone intending to buy guns to fill out “intention to purchase” forms.

The forms are then checked by local police departments to see whether the person, such as a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

In the Stathopolous case, the felony conviction was discovered by the Bangor Police Department, and a handgun purchase was stopped.

Stathopolous, though, allegedly possessed 1,000 rounds of ammunition as well as five firearms, including an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

According to the indictment, Stathopolous allegedly lied on the forms when he tried to buy guns from a Bangor pawn shop and a Winterport gun store.

If convicted, Stathopolous faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.


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