Judge orders forfeiture of 17 guns possessed by Unity man, suspect in disappearance
Seventeen guns belonging to a Unity man suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross were ordered to be forfeited in an unrelated federal weapons case.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak on Monday granted a preliminary forfeiture order in the case against Thomas G. Stanko, 51. The order came as attorneys prepare for sentencing in the case scheduled for July 20.
Stanko pleaded guilty in November to two counts of illegally having guns as a convicted felon. The federal charges stem from 17 guns state police said they found on Stanko’s Unity property and a storage unit he rented in August 2018. He has a previous felony conviction that prohibits him from possessing a firearm.
Stanko is a suspect in the disappearance of Gross, though he has not been charged. He has been in jail since April 2018 on unrelated charges, including the federal weapons case.
The guns ordered to be forfeited were listed in court papers. The cache includes revolvers, pistols, rifles and a shotgun.
Related:
• Judge won't remove lawyer in federal gun case against suspect in Cassandra Gross disappearance
• Unity man suspected in Gross case pleads guilty to unrelated gun charges
Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 70 to 87 months in prison, according to a sentencing memorandum. The defense has requested a lower sentence, pointing to Stanko’s abusive upbringing and alcohol dependency in court filings.
Gross of Unity last was seen April 7, 2018. She was reported missing April 9, 2018. The next day, state police found her Mitsubishi Outlander burned in a wooded area near Twin Lakes Park.
In the days after her disappearance, state police were seen searching two Unity properties Stanko owned at the time. In May 2020, troopers found a few items during a search at a home where Stanko’s mother lives on White Fence Lane next to Unity Cemetery. Those items, which have not been publicly detailed, were sent for testing.
A judge in 2019 declared Gross legally dead. State police classify the case as a homicide. No arrests have been made. She would be 56.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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