Somerset man sentenced to $6,700 fine in ammo case, returning home from Turks and Caicos
SOMERSET, Pa. – Bryan Hagerich paid a $6,700 fine and was returning home Friday to Somerset from Turks and Caicos, where a family vacation turned into a months-long detention with the possibility of a 12-year prison sentence.
He vacationed in Turks and Caicos in February, and had been detained in the British overseas territory since then as he awaited legal proceedings for allegedly violating the government’s strict gun laws.
Hagerich was taken into custody Feb. 13 after ammunition mistakenly left in his luggage was discovered. He said it was a “simple mistake” that he didn’t realize carried the possibility of years in prison, he previously told national media.
On Friday, Hagerich, who pleaded guilty to ammunition possession in Turks and Caicos, received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a fine of $6,700, which means he can leave the islands after he pays the fine.
The Associated Press reported that his lawyer said Hagerich had paid the fine, and a spokesman said Hagerich was on a flight back to Pittsburgh Friday afternoon.
A husband and father of two children, Hagerich is one of several Americans charged in Turks and Caicos for carrying ammunition.
The government of Turks and Caicos confirmed in early May that it had charged the American men for collectively carrying 33 rounds of ammunition, according to The Associated Press.
In a statement published on social media in late April, the government said their islands “have clear laws against the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties in order to serve and protect the community.”
Violating the law could result in a minimum 12-year prison sentence, though the government said that can be lowered in “exceptional circumstances,” according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., traveled to Turks and Caicos days ago with U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler and other lawmakers to meet with the island territory’s officials.
“This is great news,” Fetterman said of the sentence in a statement Friday. “Bryan is coming home to his family. It was an honor to meet Bryan and the other detained Americans in TCI this week.
“When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made it clear that they wanted the situation resolved. They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not gun runners – they are just people who made a mistake. I’m grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to send Bryan home.”
Fetterman said he was also grateful to the U.S. State Department, which he said has been a critical partner in bringing Hagerich home.
“I’m hopeful that TCI expedites the rest of these cases and that the other detained Americans will soon be released and reunited with their families as well,” he said.
Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said she is grateful to the federal officials who worked to reunite Hagerich with his family: “I am elated the Hagerich family is finally reunited and credit the work of our federal officials, (U.S. Sens. Bob) Casey and Fetterman and Congressman Reschenthaler for their efforts in working toward his release.”
Reschenthaler, R-Washington, released a statement following Hagerich’s sentence.
“While I am overjoyed to see Bryan Hagerich will be returning to Pennsylvania and reuniting with his wife and two children, this terrifying situation should have never happened to him, or the four other Americans still awaiting sentencing,” Reschenthaler said. “As the Turks and Caicos government works to handle future cases, the British territory must ensure the safety and well-being of U.S. tourists. I won’t rest until Americans can once again set foot on their islands without putting their livelihoods at risk.”
