MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A former federal contractor was sentenced Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge Gina Groh to 14 years in prison stemming from allegations that he stole firearms, ammunition and firearm parts from a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives facility where he was a security guard.

Christopher Lee Yates, 52, of Martinsburg, pleaded guilty in April to single counts of theft of government property and possession of stolen firearm.

Consecutive prison sentences of four and 10 years imposed by the judge are to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Yates also must obtain gambling addiction treatment and the judge ordered that he no longer engage in gambling or enter casinos and similar gaming settings.

A preliminary forfeiture order also filed by the judge on Monday includes a $300,000 monetary judgement against Yates, records state.

Yates was placed in the custody of U.S. Marshals at the conclusion of Monday’s hearing after the judge revoked Yates’ bond, ruling that he posed a danger to himself.

Yates gave a tearful statement in court, but Groh questioned whether he was truly remorseful, noting she didn’t hear Yates apologize to the community or other communities across the nation that have been put at risk.

Since the investigation began, the ATF has recovered 4,625 of the firearms and firearm parts in question, including 60 pistols, 120 rifles, four automatic machine guns and three components to make rocket launchers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Finucane told the judge at Monday’s sentencing hearing.

Items have been recovered from 49 of 50 states, and there have been 1,214 referrals to recover items allegedly stolen by the defendant, Finucane said.

The stolen items were taken from bins at the ATF’s National Firearms and Ammunition Destruction Branch facility near Martinsburg and then sold.

The ATF facility now is at 244 Needy Road, but was at 5550 Winchester Ave. south of Martinsburg.

The government’s investigation found Yates stole from the ATF facility and trafficked firearms, firearm parts and ammunition from 2016 to this year, according to a plea agreement filed in the case.

Though the judge noted Yates’ lack of criminal history, she described the defendant’s alleged actions to be “very, very serious in nature,” adding that he put members of communities across the nation at risk of a violent crime by putting the firearms back into circulation.

The judge also recounted Yates’ statement to probation for committing the crimes, noting that the defendant indicated that he “gave into his vanity” and that he wanted to appear important.

The federal investigation began in February after the Philadelphia Police Department recovered a firearm described as a “ghost gun” during a traffic stop, according to April testimony by ATF Special Agent Seth Cox and court records.

Finucane told the judge on Monday that the ATF’s policy was to inventory the items in question and then put them on the shelf to be taken to a secondary facility to be destroyed at a later time.

Yates worked for approximately 16 years as a contract security guard and had access to virtually the entire facility, including areas where firearms were stored and destroyed, according to court records.

Finucane insisted the actual mistake the ATF made was putting Yates in charge, noting he was in a position of trust and was entrusted to keep the government’s property secure.

In his statement to the court, Yates said he turned his back on God and others close to him and later added he wasn’t going to blame the devil for his actions.

“I kept making excuses for everything,” said Yates, who added that he couldn’t stop stealing.

Yates later said that he didn’t know all the rules pertaining to firearms and for that he has to accept responsibility.

Before Yates was sentenced, Cox testified the defendant was untruthful on multiple occasions, alleging Yates only would admit the truth when confronted with direct evidence.

Cox also said Yates had provided little assistance in the recovery effort and had not cooperated in the investigation of a Bedford, Pa., man who bought much of what Yates took from the ATF.

Yates sold the Glock slides for $30 each; they were then resold for $100 each, records state.

The Bedford man told authorities he bought 15 rifles, at least 80 handguns and 30 revolvers, and 10 to 15 AR-style lower receivers from Yates, according to court records.

Many handguns and revolvers were ATF duty weapons, records said.

In a Feb. 28 search of Yates’ home at 496 E. Burke St. in Martinsburg, the government found more than $1,000 in government property stolen from the ATF facility and alleged that it was converted for his personal use, records said.

On March 1, a search of a family member’s Clay Rock Drive residence led to the recovery of additional firearms and ammunition and nearly $40,000 linked to Yates’ activities, records said.

That same day, Yates was arrested at the now former ATF facility at 5550 Winchester Ave. Police recovered five firearms from his 2017 Toyota Tacoma, including a machine gun and pistol he stole from the ATF facility, records said.

Yates was represented by defense attorneys Kevin D. Mills and Shawn McDermott who presented a handful of witnesses regarding Yates’ character and apparent gambling addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We’re asking the court to take into account the entirety of this man’s life,” Mills said.