ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for stealing 22 firearms from an Anchorage gun store in 2019. In handing down the sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason noted this was a series of criminal acts that “put so many people at risk.”
According to court documents, Hans Mikaele Wells, aka “Mika,” 26, pleaded guilty in July 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.
Wells and the three 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. Wells and a co-conspirator then got into another stolen vehicle, a Chevy Suburban and drove it through the front window of Granny’s Guns. The two other co-conspirators drove the stolen pickup alongside the broken window and loaded 22 firearms into the back of the truck and drove away. They later transferred the stolen firearms from the truck into a black GMC Denali and lit the stolen GMC Sierra pickup on fire in an effort to destroy evidence.
Later the same day, officers with the Anchorage Police Department tried to stop the GMC Denali and an associated gold pickup when multiple shots were fired from the gold pickup, occupied by Wells and a co-conspirator. On June 18, 2019, Wells and two others attempted to recover an impounded vehicle which contained one of the stolen firearms from the Granny’s Guns burglary. All four co-conspirators were indicted in October 2020 and subsequently arrested on the charges.
“Stolen firearms are a threat to the safety of all Alaskans,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The blatant disregard for public safety and law enforcement both during and after this series of violent crimes by Wells and his co-conspirators show just how dangerous they are to our community. 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. Wells’ 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:
- Muna Junior Rode, 23, pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a licensed dealer and is awaiting sentencing.
- Gian Carlo Pangilinan, aka “G,” 26, pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a licensed dealer and is awaiting sentencing.
- Kao Chiang Saelee, aka “Robbie,” 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal firearms from a licensed dealer and is awaiting sentencing.
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.
###