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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Police Officer Admits Stolen Gun Charges

SAN JOSE (CN) - A Pacific Grove police commander faces years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of possessing stolen firearms that were donated to the department under his watch.

John Nyunt was a commander at Pacific Grove Police Department and an instructor at the Monterey Peninsula College police academy in 2009. When the academy closed, he its donation of assault rifles, shotguns and semi-automatic pistols for the Pacific Grove PD, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

But Nyunt took many of the guns, including 32 semi-automatic pistols, to a gun broker who sold them for Nyunt on commission, prosecutors said. He had given away or sold some or all of guns by November 2012.

Nyunt pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the stolen firearms charges. He pleaded guilty in May to charges of extortion and wire fraud, according to the U.S. attorney.

Nyunt's former wife, Kristin Nyunt, was charged with wire-tapping. She admitted she installed spy software on the cell phone of a police officer, the U.S. attorney said. .

Kristen Nyunt was charged in October with illegal wiretapping and possession of illegal interception devices. The federal information did not specify whose phones were tapped.

Kristen Nyunt faces up to 5 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on each count at her Feb. 23, 2015 sentencing.

Under his plea deal, John Nyunt will be sentenced to a consolidated 30 months imprisonment to will run concurrent with his sentence for extortion and wire fraud, if the deal is accepted by the court. He will be sentenced on April 7, 2015.

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