Man Faces Charges He Sold Stolen Guns to Undercover Agent in Oxford

A homeless man is being held on firearms trafficking and theft charges after he allegedly sold six stolen guns including one taken from a Stamford residence to an undercover agent in the town of Oxford, according to Connecticut State Police (CSP).

In a statement, CSP said that Phillip N. Santelle, 27, was arrested at 10 a.m. Oct. 10 following “an extensive joint investigation involving State Police Detectives from the CT State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force (SOCITF), the CT State Police Statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF) and agents from the U.S. Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).”

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Santelle after he illegally sold the stolen firearms — five semi-automatic handguns and a shotgun — to an undercover agent he met in Oxford. One of the firearms were reported stolen from a residence in Stamford and Santelle did not have a valid Federal Firearms Licensed Dealers permit or a valid State of Connecticut Firearms Permit, authorities said.

Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said that one of the guns recovered in the sting operation was reported stolen from a North Stamford home on Nov. 18, 2013. A total of 13 handguns and five long guns were reported missing by the owner of the home that had been unoccupied for more than a year, Conklin said. Police were able to determine that Santelle had performed some work at the home.

“We’re in the process of trying to determine if they are all guns stolen from the home,” Conklin said Tuesday afternoon.

The warrant charged Santelle with Firearms Trafficking, Illegal Transfer of Firearm other than Pistol/Revolver, five counts each of Carrying Pistol/Revolver Without Permit and Illegal Transfer of Pistol/Revolver, six counts of Stealing a Firearm and Third-degree Larceny (By Possession).

Santelle is being held on a $75,000 bond and was scheduled to appear Oct. 14 in state Superior Court in Derby.

*Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information from Stamford Police.

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