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 yesterday to nine years in federal prison
for stealing 22 firearms from an Anchorage gun store in 2019.

According to court documents, Muna Junior Rhode, 24, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to stealing
22 firearms from Granny’s Guns, a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Anchorage, on June
6, 2019, along with three co-conspirators.

Rhode and his co-conspirators drove a stolen Chevy Trailblazer to Wrightway Auto Carriers in
Anchorage where they broke into the building and stole license plates, filing cabinets and a GMC
Sierra pickup. Rhode and the three co-conspirators then stole another vehicle, drove it through the
front window of Granny’s Guns, loaded 22 firearms into the back of the GMC truck and drove away.
They later lit the stolen GMC Sierra pickup on fire in an effort to destroy evidence and escaped in a
black SUV.

Later the same day, officers with the Anchorage Police Department tried to stop Rhode, who was
driving the black SUV, and his co-defendants driving another pickup, but they fired shots into the
air and fled at high speeds across Anchorage. On June 20, 2019, Rhode and two others were caught
on video attempting to jump the fence of a tow yard to recover one of the stolen guns left in an
impounded vehicle. All four co-conspirators were indicted in October 2020 and subsequently
arrested. Rhode is also facing charges in state court.


“The blatant disregard for public safety and law enforcement, both during and after this series of
violent crimes, by Rhode and his co-conspirators show they are a danger to our community and all
Alaskans,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “We will continue to work
closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to fight violent crime and keep our communities
safe from people who endanger our neighborhoods.”

“All of the involved defendants demonstrated a complete indifference to the safety of others
through their actions in their violent crime spree,” stated Police Chief Michael Kerle. “From the
theft of multiple vehicles, to firing shots in public, driving erratically on our streets, and stealing
multiple firearms; it is imperative they are held accountable for their behavior. Rhode’s sentencing
is a big part of that. We are grateful for the efforts of all our law enforcement partners who were
involved in seeing this case through.”

Co-conspirators in this case include:
 Gian Carlo Pangilinan, aka “G,” 27, pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a licensed dealer
and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
 Kao Chiang Saelee, aka “Robbie,” 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal firearms from a
licensed dealer and was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment.
 Hans Mikaele Wells, aka “Mika,” 26, pleaded guilty to stealing firearms and was sentenced
to 9 years’ imprisonment.

The Anchorage Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers 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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