BALTIMORE COUNTY MAN CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTING TO ILLEGALLY PURCHASE A HANDGUN AND PERJURY

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Recuerdo Harrison Quinto, 41, of 12011 Tarragon Road, Reisterstown, was found guilty of false application to purchase a regulated firearm, attempted illegal possession of a regulated firearm, and perjury by the Honorable Dennis M. Sweeney in the Circuit Court for Howard County. Judge Sweeney ordered that a pre-sentence investigation of Quinto be completed prior to his sentencing on March 26, 2004.

At trial, the State demonstrated that on March 6, 2003, Quinto attempted to buy a handgun at Bart's Sports World, Inc. in Glen Burnie, Md. On the State application form that is required to buy a regulated firearm, Quinto denied that he had ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor crime that carried a potential period of incarceration of greater than 2 years. He certified under the penalty of perjury that his answers were true.

The Maryland State Police, in conducting a criminal background check of Quinto, discovered that Quinto had two prior convictions that prevented him from being able to lawfully purchase or possess handguns. On November 27, 1991, Quinto was found guilty in the District Court for Baltimore County of CDS Possession - Not Marijuana. On March 23, 1998, Quinto was convicted of the felony crime of CDS-Unlawful Mfrg, Dist, Etc. in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

This case was investigated by the Firearms Enforcement Section of the Maryland State Police and was prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General, Firearms Trafficking Unit, Criminal Investigations Division. Funding for the Firearms Trafficking Unit comes from grants received from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, and the Maryland State Police Cease Fire Council.

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