ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced on July 10, 2023, to six years in prison for possessing stolen firearms in September 2020, while being a twice-convicted felon for separate burglaries. He was also sentenced, the same day, to an additional 1.5 consecutive years in prison for possessing fentanyl and heroin while in prison in February 2023. After his release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
According to court documents, Max Reder, 37, was hired by an elderly victim to help her clean her garage in September 2020 after her late husband, a retired military officer, had passed away. Reder used this opportunity to burglarize the victim’s home. He stole over 40 firearms, her engagement ring, her late husband’s Rolex watch, which was a gift from his squadron, and other irreplaceable items.
After stealing these items, Reder quickly sold 41 firearms to a second victim, a firearms collector, for $12,000 before any firearms were reported stolen by the first victim. The second victim did not know about the theft and fully cooperated with investigators. Only the stolen firearms were recovered.
The United States Attorney’s Office indicted Reder for the firearms crime in August 2022, following a referral from the State of Alaska under the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
Court documents further show that Reder was in custody as a federal inmate at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, for the above firearm matter, and that on or around Feb. 12, 2023, Reder possessed over eight grams of heroin and about 69 fentanyl pills in his jail cell. He was indicted on contraband charges in March 2023.
“Crimes against elderly victims are an egregious threat and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The defendant was held accountable for crimes committed against this elderly grieving victim and the pain he further inflicted upon her by taking exceptionally sentimental items. Additionally, the trafficking of stolen firearms—especially by convicted felons—is a threat to the safety of all Alaskans, and we will continue to work closely with all law enforcement partners to keep or communities safe. The defendant further showed his blatant disregard for rules by possessing significant quantities of heroin and fentanyl—both extremely
deadly drugs—in our custodial institutions. Drugs in prison endangers the safety of all those working and housed in these facilities.”
“Weapon and drug crimes are not only serious offenses on their own, but routinely lead to other criminal activities,” stated Anchorage Police Chief Michael Kerle. “These types of cases are often solved due to the close working relationships we have with other law enforcement entities in the state. It’s also common for successful prosecution of suspects to be aided by citizens who choose to come forward with information they have regarding crimes. Without all these partnerships in play, closing out investigations would be so much more difficult.”
The Anchorage Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the firearms case. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) investigated the prison contraband case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George Tran prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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