Pennsylvania man sentenced to federal prison for shipping weapon

PHILADELPHIA – Rafael Cabrera-Mesa, 36, of Reading, Pa., was sentenced March 12 to five years in prison for shipping a firearm and ammunition in foreign commerce and use of false identification, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Cabrera-Mesa pleaded guilty to the charges Dec. 18, 2013. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, ordered three years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment.

On Feb. 1, 2010, Cabrera-Mesa possessed, and shipped to the Dominican Republic, a Remington Model 760 Gamemaster .30-06 rifle, along with numerous rounds of ammunition. Cabrera-Mesa also stole the identity of a deceased U.S. citizen, using that person’s birth certificate and social security number in order to avoid apprehension by immigration authorities.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Thomas Zaleski in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.