Yellowknife man who stored stolen guns gets conditional sentence

A 39-year-old Yellowknife man who stored stolen guns has avoided jail time.

Francois Parisella was givena five-month conditional sentence in territorial court on Friday. He was found guilty of possessing property obtained by crime on Dec. 18.

The guns were stolen from a Rivett Crescent Home on Thanksgiving Day 2018. Parisella's wife's cousin, Beau Desire-Tesar, has admitted he took the guns, jewellery and other items. He's scheduled to be sentenced in July.

During Parisella's trial, it came out that he rented a storage locker shortly after the theft. Police got a warrant to search it and found guns and other stolen items in it. Parisella denied any involvement, apart from helping Desire-Tesar the day of the theft, when he got stuck in the driveway of the house he had just robbed.

On Friday, Judge Garth Malakoe said Parisella, who has no prior criminal convictions, has already paid a high price for his involvement in the theft.

"His reputation has suffered, his finances have suffered and his family has suffered as a result of his actions," said Malakoe.

For the first three months of his sentence, Parisella will be confined to his house, except for certain exceptions such as grocery shopping and medical emergencies. The final two months he will be under a 10 p.m. curfew.