HONOLULU, HAWAII — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Hawaii), published as received.
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Glenn Robert Alika Muth, 28, of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by United States District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 71 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for possession of a stolen firearm, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and theft of government property. Judge Watson ordered the sentence to run consecutively with any sentence imposed in Muth’s pending state theft cases. Additionally, Judge Watson ordered Muth to pay a total of $126,813.87 in restitution to the victims of his offenses.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price said that, according to court documents and information presented in court, on November 10, 2019, Muth—while on state probation—burglarized a residence in Waialua, Hawaii, stealing a gun safe containing 28 firearms and other items. The residence had a surveillance system that captured the burglary. Upon review, the owner identified the masked male in the surveillance footage as Muth and provided it to the Honolulu Police Department (HPD). The following day, HPD arrested Muth outside of an illegal game room for two outstanding probation revocation bench warrants. A federal search warrant executed on Muth’s backpack revealed two firearms and ammunition—one stolen from the burglary—and methamphetamine that Muth intended to use and distribute to others. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Army Criminal Investigation Command identified Muth as responsible for stealing a number of utility vehicles, equipment, and tools from the Logistical Readiness Center near Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
At sentencing, Judge Watson stated that the “significant danger to the community” from the burglary is “the most troubling part of this case.” The extent of the harm is one that “we cannot calculate” today, Judge Watson remarked, because it is unknown where these firearms—capable of wreaking “havoc and mayhem”—will appear down the road. Judge Watson gave a sentence at the high-end of the guidelines - nearly six years - to run consecutively with any sentence imposed by the state because of Muth’s responsibility for “the significant number of weapons in our streets.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the HPD, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Army Criminal Investigation Command. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara D. Ayabe, Michael Nammar, and Micah W.J. Smith.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
