Area man gets 20 months for gun offenses

A Larksville man was sentenced Wednesday by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley to 20 months in prison for the possession and receipt of three stolen guns.

According to U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith, Albert Behrmann, 37, was previously indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2011, after an incident in Luzerne County in which he was involved in the sale of a stolen gun.

Behrmann previously entered a guilty plea to the charge of possession and receipt of stolen firearms on April 4, 2012.

In addition to the prison term, Munley ordered three years of probation for Behrmann.

Charges were initially filed by the Larksville and Kingston police departments before District Judge David Barilla prior to federal authorities taking over the case.

According to county court paperwork, police began working the case on March 4, 2011, when they received word from a confidential informant that a man named Joseph Lilly tried to sell the informant a handgun. Working with police, the informant arranged to buy a .45-caliber handgun from Lilly for $400. After the buy, police arrested Lilly, who told them he was selling guns for Behrmann.

Police had Lilly call Behrmann and tell him he sold the .45-caliber gun and that the buyer also wanted to buy a .357-caliber that Behrmann wanted to sell. Behrmann agreed to the sale for $500.

Police searched Behrmann's residence – 260 Poplar St., Larksville – that night and found a .357 magnum and a stolen Ruger Blackhawk.

Behrmann told police he bought the guns from a man in a Turkey Hill parking lot for $50 each. Police said the guns were stolen in Kansas on Dec. 21, 2010.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force and the Larksville/Kingston and Hanover Township police departments.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O'Hara.