*Simonpietri to serve 90 days in federal firearms case

By Preston Knight -- pknight@nvdaily.com

HARRISONBURG -- Front Royal pawn shop owner Don Francis Simonpietri was sentenced to serve 90 days in prison on two convictions of illegal sales of firearms Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Judge Glen E. Conrad sentenced the longtime businessman to 90 days each on convictions of knowingly selling a firearm to a convicted felon and selling firearms without a license. Simonpietri, 65, who owns the shop on South Royal Avenue, will serve those sentences concurrently.

Upon his release from prison, Simonpietri faces two years of supervised release, the first six months of which will be spent in home confinement. However, he can work at his shop from 9 a.m. to noon.

Conrad offered a sentence that was below recommended guidelines and provided no fine because Simonpietri was forfeiting 1,177 firearms. The defendant will self report to prison at a later time.

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