NEWINGTON — A man formerly from Willimantic who was arrested for stealing 38 guns from a Newington store was sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
Kwitzpatrick Duffany, 37, formerly of Willimantic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 108 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release.
This punishment is for offenses related to his theft of 38 firearms from a Newington gun store in 2023.
According to court documents and statements made in court on May 27, 2023, Duffany entered Hoffman’s Gun Store in Newington by climbing onto the balcony over the main entrance, cutting into the siding with a knife and dropping down from the ceiling.
Surveillance footage then showed Duffany walking through the store and filling duffel bags with 38 guns. He then exited the store through the same hole.
After Duffany stole the guns, he and two other individuals traveled to Hartford, where he tried trading several of the stolen guns for cash and drugs.
According to the court documents, Duffany sold most of the remaining guns in exchange for cash and narcotics or provided the guns to other individuals to sell.
The Connecticut State Police arrested Duffany in Ashford early on June 1, 2023.
Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed Duffany hiding a satchel in a soda display case shortly before his arrest. Investigators then recovered the satchel and found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun and drugs inside the bag. The gun had been stolen from Hoffman’s Gun Store in Newington.
To date, law enforcement has recovered only six out of the 38 guns, including one that Hartford Police recovered during an investigation of a homicide that occurred on July 5, 2024.
Duffany has been detained since his arrest, and on February 3, he pleaded guilty to theft of firearms from a licensee and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Newington Police Department investigated this case, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Willimantic Police Department.