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Hanover Twp. men face federal prosecution in connection with smash-and-grab robbery.
SCRANTON – A federal grand jury has indicted two Hanover Township men in the theft of 33 handguns from a sporting goods store last month.
Michael Graboske, 46, and Raymond Rittenhouse, 22, were charged in a four-count indictment with illegal possession of a firearm, unlawful sale of a stolen firearm, theft of a firearm from a licensed firearm dealer’s inventory and conspiracy.
They were initially charged by police in Hanover Township and Nanticoke on burglary and theft related charges that will soon be withdrawn because of the federal indictment, Luzerne County District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll said.
The federal grand jury indicted the pair on Wednesday, with the charges being made public on Friday.
Police arrested the pair in Nanticoke on Aug. 21 after they allegedly sold two handguns stolen from Nimrod Haven Firearms on the Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover Township, on Aug. 19.
According to arrest records and the indictment:
Graboske and Rittenhouse rammed a stolen car through the front doors at Nimrod Haven at about 4:50 a.m. Police said they used a metal pipe to smash glass gun cases, loaded a duffel bag with handguns and sped away in a dark-colored truck.
About 25 hours after the burglary, authorities learned the men wanted to sell some of the stolen guns, according to arrest records.
Rittenhouse and Graboske were kept under surveillance after Nanticoke police learned at about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20 that the pair arranged to sell two handguns, a 9 mm and a .45-caliber. Police said the men had told others that they had burglarized the store and were selling the stolen guns, according to arrest records.
After their arrests, authorities searched their residence on South Main Street in the Askam section of Hanover Township, where they recovered 29 of the 33 stolen guns. Authorities suspect, according to arrest records, that two handguns were traded for crack in Wilkes-Barre.