In February, he admitted possessing an unregistered destructive device — a .12-gauge shotgun with a motorized barrel called a Street Sweeper. The gun is a favorite of drug gangs.

Dealer sentenced for skirting firearms laws
MICHAEL P. MAYKO mmayko@ctpost.com
Article Last Updated: 09/07/2007 10:59:36 PM EDT

BRIDGEPORT — Looking over at the defendant, U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall saw a dichotomy in the way Frank D'Andrea lived his life.

There was Frank D'Andrea — the former U.S. Marine who began working at age 5 to help an infirm father, spent much of the last two decades taking care of his mother slowly dying from cancer and always made time for family and friends in need.

Then there was the Frank D'Andrea who built one of the state's largest firearms stores by skirting the law and even selling guns he knew would end up in the hands of some of the city's most notorious killers like Frankie "The Terminator" Estrada and Luke "Mega" Jones.

"Not only did you make sales to straw purchasers, but you warned Frankie Estrada when he got out of jail that the laws had changed and you had to be more careful on how to structure such purchases," the judge said. "I see two different people before me."

While Hall considered sending D'Andrea, 62, of Soundview Drive, Shelton, to prison for as long as 10 years, she settled on 42 months — a range recommended in his plea-bargain. She also fined him $75,000.

"It would have been a longer period of incarceration if not for your age, your health and your life history," Hall said. She allowed D'Andrea, who is suffering from prostate cancer and a nerve disorder, to remain free until January. In two weeks, he is expected to undergo an operation that will fuse bones in his neck to alleviate his nerve condition.

She also recommended that he be incarcerated at the federal prison medical center at Fort Devins, Mass.

"Gun store operators are the first defendant for help to control the flow of illegal guns onto our streets," said U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor. "Those who blatantly disregard federal firearms laws will be investigated and prosecuted."

He said D'Andrea, whose store sold about 1,000 guns a year, was cited by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive Devices in 1998, 2000 and 2001 for violations. A 2005 audit led to the criminal indictment.

D'Andrea, who for the past 37 years operated firearms stores in Bridgeport, Stratford and Milford, pleaded guilty to only one of the 12 charges for which he was indicted.

In February, he admitted possessing an unregistered destructive device — a .12-gauge shotgun with a motorized barrel called a Street Sweeper. The gun is a favorite of drug gangs.

Estrada told authorities he purchased two of those guns from D'Andrea as well as AK-47s and AR-15s. He said after the guns were used in shootings here, they would be sold in New York City or thrown away.

Because of the conviction, federal law prohibits D'Andrea, who taught firearm safety and shooting, from ever again possessing or selling a gun.

The conviction forced him to sell his Guns and Safes Unlimited on Woodmont Road, Milford, for $1.3 million ,which is being paid off at the rate of $10,000 a month. "I'm a broken man, begging for mercy," a tearful D'Andrea told Hall. "I devoted my entire adult life to building my business. I didn't live up to all my responsibilities."

Alan Sobol, D'Andrea's lawyer, said the firearms business has become "very complex" because of all the gun-control laws.

"Frank was old school," he said. "The highly regulated and technical requirements passed him by."

Hall pointed out that D'Andrea sold guns to straw purchasers, people buying them for others who could not legally possess a gun. She said several federal audits found sales without background checks and unreported multiple sales to the same person. She said 132 guns were either missing or not recorded on his store's books and at least 34 guns were sold to unlawful aliens without the correct paperwork.

"This complete avoidance of a system developed by Congress is very serious," Hall said. "The more guns illegally on the streets, the more likely it is there will be victims."

Afterwards, the usually talkative D'Andrea declined to comment following sentencing.

"I wish I could, but I can't," he said.

http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_6831349