Department of Justice

St. Louis – Devante Coffie, 19, of Valley Park, Missouri, was charged by a federal complaint with stealing 32 handguns and two long guns at the Southside Pawn Shop.  Coffie will appear in court on June 4, 2020, for his initial appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Patricia Cohen.

According to the criminal complaint, on May 31, 2020, Coffie and another individual entered the Southside Pawn Shop via second story window after climbing onto the roof of a parked minivan.  The two individuals broke the glass of an elevated window in order to gain entry into the pawnshop.  While inside the shop, Coffie and the other individual fired their guns into multiple glass enclosures in order to get access to the firearms inside and removed them. 

Coffie cut himself on the broken glass of the window that had been used to enter the building.  Investigators identified Coffie after monitoring social media in attempt to find information about the burglary. Not only was he trying to sell the firearms on social media, but also a video showed Coffie’s hands had multiple bandages on them.  At the time of his arrest, Coffie had in his possession one of the stolen firearms from the burglary. 

If convicted of the theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, Coffie faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

These charges are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the St. Louis County Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce is handling this case. 

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.