Prior felon from NM sentenced to 8 years for illegally possessing a firearm

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque man, who is a prior convicted felon, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to eight years in federal prison and to three years of supervised release following his latest conviction on federal firearms charges.

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Albuquerque Police Department, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office assisted investigating this case.

Trinidad Gallegos, 47, was arrested in July 2015 on an indictment charging him with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon; he was also charged with being a felon in possessing a firearm and ammunition Aug. 20, 2014, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

Court records show that Gallegos has been convicted of the following crimes: possessing a controlled substance, possessing and uttering counterfeit obligations and securities, making a false statement, larceny, forgery, conspiracy to vehicle theft, possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm or destructive device by a felon, and felon possessing a firearm and ammunition.

On Nov. 19, 2015, Gallegos pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. He admitted that on Aug. 20, 2014, he possessed a shotgun and ammunition in a tow truck. As he attempted to flee from law enforcement officers, Gallegos crashed the tow truck into a vehicle driven by a federal law enforcement officer.

Gallegos admitted that after colliding with the officer, he backed the tow truck down the street and crashed into another vehicle. He then ran away and broke into homes as he attempted to evade arrest. He acknowledged that as a convicted felon, he was not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec, District of New Mexico, prosecuted this case.