Michigan Sporting Goods Manager Kidnapped in Daring Firearm Theft Scheme; Two Men Plead Guilty

A man and his accomplice pleaded guilty in a criminal scheme to steal 123 handguns by kidnapping the manager of a Michigan sporting goods store. Darnell Bishop, along with his brother Nance, were accused of committing the crime at gunpoint, disabling the alarm system and stealing items from the store. Evidence of the theft included video footage from the store.

Bishop admitted that both he and his brother handcuffed and blindfolded the store manager at his home before committing the crime. The U.S. Attorney Mark Totten described their actions as bold, stating that if successful, they would have led to the illegal distribution of firearms on the streets of Benton Harbor and beyond. Both Bishop and Nance faced life imprisonment for their actions.

An attempt to transfer money from the manager’s bank account using a cash app led investigators to one of the men involved in the crime. The handguns were worth over $100,000 according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Thankfully, all of them have been recovered and Bishop and Nance will face the consequences of their actions as they have already pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.