Former Luzerne County Sheriff Savokinas with Obama
Posted on 01/26/2010 6:44:44 PM PST by Born Conservative
WILKES-BARRE - The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office in recent years has sold about 20 guns, some to deputy sheriffs and one to former Sheriff Michael Savokinas, Solicitor Vito DeLuca said Monday.
DeLuca said he has started an investigation of the gun sales in response to learning that Savokinas improperly agreed to sell a Thompson submachine gun, known as a Tommy gun, for $20,000 in August 2009. DeLuca said only county commissioners can approve sales of property, including firearms issued to the sheriff's office.
Savokinas on Monday said administration officials knew the sheriff's office sold guns because a line item in the budget allowed them to do it.
"They had this line item set up. They were aware of it," Savokinas said. "I told them my intentions of what we did. No laws were broken. I'm not here to hide anything."
Savokinas said he made the county money when sheriff's employees bought firearms that hadn't been used in 20 years. The price for each handgun was about $100 to $125, he said.
"It's department property," Savokinas said.
"There is no such thing," DeLuca said.
Sales of county personal property require advertising or posted notices of upcoming sales, and commissioners have to sell to the highest and best bidder, DeLuca said.
Savokinas signed a sales agreement with Advanced Arms LLC of Pittson on Aug. 5, 2009, to sell a Model 1928 Tommy gun, a 45-caliber weapon, and three other guns for a total of $22,500. One of those guns was a 9-mm Swedish submachine gun known as the Carl Gustav M45.
An official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approved the sale, according to a document dated Aug. 26. DeLuca said federal approval only involves compliance with federal law.
Savokinas resigned Sept. 1, and Charles J. Guarnieri Jr. has been the acting sheriff since then. Guarnieri on Monday defended the sale to Advanced Arms LLC.
"Nothing was done improperly," Guarnieri said. "It was all done through ATF. There was no thievery."
DeLuca said Guarnieri has to return money from gun sales to the county general fund. But Guarnieri said he spent $17,000 from the sales on Taser guns.
Controller Walter L. Griffith said Monday he is checking to see if the Taser gun purchase violated state and county purchasing requirements. Guarnieri said the Taser gun purchase wasn't put out to bid because "there's only one company that makes them."
Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla last week said the submachine gun sale "looks like a back-door deal." The $22,500 sale to Advanced Arms involved cashier's checks to the sheriff's department from PNC Bank.
Checks were dated Sept. 17 and deposited in a sheriff's office bank account on Dec. 7, records show. DeLuca said Advanced Arms LLC has been cooperating with his probe.
"I have not received a tremendous amount of cooperation from the sheriff's office," DeLuca added.
Savokinas said, "He's not the county investigator. It's a witch hunt. ...He won't let stuff die. This is harassment at this point."
Former Luzerne County Sheriff Savokinas with Obama
More from The County of Corruption.
A Class III Thompson is worth a hell of a lot more than 20K.
Kinda funny to see them squirming under the same BS rules the harness the rest of us with.
Wow, I wish I could get guns for this price. Insider's deal? Um, yeah! Great steward of the taxpayers' money /sarcasm>.
Not really. There’s one on gunbroker right now with a buy now for $24,000.00. It looks clean.
“
One of those guns was a 9-mm Swedish submachine gun known
as the Carl Gustav M45.
“
Interesting. The only other time I’ve heard of this particular
weapon is having seen a photo of Joe Galloway, the co-author with
Hal Moore of “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young”.
I had to get help from the FR gun crowd to tell identify the weapon
being held by Galloway.
It sure looked like a substantial submachine gun, very solidly built.
ping
It is if it has a legitimate tax stamp, it is. If not, you are severely limited to who you can sell it to. A FFL dealer can have one for display and demonstration purposes to LEO’s.
There was a time in the 1960s as a teen that I could have gotten one for $150.00, and I have had one held on me during interaction with a friend that had personal security, during those same years.
In those days you could have bought hand grenades and 40mm grenades for $25.00.
The sixties were strange times and a little wild.
Always buy, but never... 
very sell!
Nev... 
ER!
Re: ...agreed to sell a Thompson submachine gun, known as a Tommy gun...
Always buy, but never... ever sell!
Nev... ER!
Could be worse.
In the early 90s DC tried it’s first gun “buy back” program. The city was offering complete amnesty and $100 or so for every gun turned in.
One of the local stations showed up a precinct station to interview the people in line “selling” their guns to the city. They interviewed this elderly woman who was turning in her “Pappy’s gun” which he’d had during Prohibition and had passed along to her. It’d been in a case under her bed for DECADES.
She opened up the case and inside there was a MINT CONDITION Thompson, with three drum magazines. Which she was turning in for ~$100. To be melted down.
I literally screamed at the TV.
Aw man, I wish you hadn’t posted that and I didn’t read it. Now I’m depressed. She’s gonna have some ‘splainin’ to do with Pappy on the other side.
Have you practiced what you preach???
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