Isanti man charged with stealing firearms from shipments, ATF says

ISANTI, Minn. (FOX 9) - An Isanti man is facing federal charges for his involvement in a plot to steal guns from a logistics company in central Minnesota.

Jason Thomas Cikotte, 31, has been charged him with possession of stolen firearms, according to court documents announced by acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats. 

According to the complaint, beginning in August 2021, law enforcement began receiving notifications of firearm thefts from shipments to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) – the carrier for the firearms shipments was XPO Logistics, a company with facilities in St. Cloud and Fridley. 

On March 9, 2022, XPO Logistics contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to report an additional 11 firearms were stolen from a recent shipment, including one Century Arms model Draco NAK 9 9mm semiautomatic AK pistol, five Canik model Rival 9mm semiautomatic pistols, and five Canik model Rival 9mm semiautomatic pistols. 

The company’s security manager later notified law enforcement that they identified Cikotte as the person responsible for several thefts of firearms shipments over the course of almost a year. The security manager provided law enforcement with video evidence showing Cikotte removing boxes of firearms from shrink-wrapped pallets, removing the firearms from the boxes, and carrying the firearms to his vehicle.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cikotte’s Isanti residence, where they found approximately 40 firearms – all of which appear to be firearms stolen from XPO Logistics – along with tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and miscellaneous firearms parts and accessories. 

Following the search, he admitted to having stolen the firearms, ammunition and firearms parts and accessories from XPO Logistics.