Rhode Island Man Admits To Illegally Possessing More Than 200 Guns

BURRILLVILLE, RI — A Rhode Island man admitted in federal court Thursday to illegally possessing more than 200 guns, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Ronald Andruchuk, 38, of Burrillville, pleaded guilty to making a false statement of material fact during a firearm purchase and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

According to a plea agreement filed with the court, Andruchuk will forfeit all 219 guns seized by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents and Burrillville police. He will also forfeit more than 23,000 rounds of ammunition.

Andruchuk was arrested in February 2022 after the guns and ammunition were discovered in his home when officers came to his house for the ninth time in recent months for reports of shots fired.

Shots were still being fired as officers arrived, several of which traveled within four feet of police officers' heads, prosecutors said. According to court documents, Andruchnuk was found wearing a bulletproof vest and was carrying four guns and methamphetamine.

Police searched the home and said they found 211 guns and thousands of bullets. Prosecutors said Andruchuk shared the house with his wife and three young children.

How Andruchuk Got The Guns: Prosecutors

In Fall 2021, agents with the ATF learned that between July 2021 and November 201, Andruchuk bought 169 guns from federally licensed gun dealers, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Andruchuk lied on his ATF applications to buy the guns.

Andruchuk was also arrested in August 2019. According to prosecutors, Cranston police officers saw him purchasing drugs. Police said they seized oxycodone pills, morphine, and naloxone. Prosecutors said he admitted to officers he bought the drugs and said he had a substance abuse problem.

Then in December 2021, police in Millbury, Massachusetts, found two guns and drugs in the drop ceiling inside a bathroom of a retail store in town after Andruchuk left the bathroom, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said one of the guns belonged to Andruchuk, but he did not possess a firearm license in Massachusetts.

Andruchuk is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17.