News Releases and Statements

Michael John Suppes, 46, of Weld County, Colorado, willfully engaged in the business of manufacturing and dealing in firearms and is not a licensed firearm dealer or manufacturer. He exported firearm parts to buyers in other countries without obtaining an export license and he possessed short-barreled rifles that were not registered under the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law.

Javier Guerrero-Garcia, 23, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. In his plea, Guerrero-Garcia admitted that he fired a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun into a residence early in the morning of Nov. 19, 2017.

Michael Diaz-Calderon, 51, from Washington State, was charged May 6, 2020, by a U.S. District Judge.

Jerry James Kendall Ritchie, 32, was indicted federally Nov. 13, 2018, with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm. These charges stemmed from his Oct. 19, 2018, arrest by the Enid Police Department.

Hany Veletanlic, a citizen of Bosnia legally residing in the United States, was found guilty of violating the Arms Export Control Act, illegally possessing two unregistered silencers, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Jeffrey Mons Olson, who was indicted by a federal grand jury Sept. 5, 2019, is scheduled to be sentenced March 19.

Omran Ismail, 53, of Burbank, Illinois, purchased four handguns in November 2013 from a licensed firearms dealer in Tinley Park, Illinois.  He then immediately transferred the guns to co-defendant Ola Sayed so that she could smuggle them to Egypt.  The guns were discovered in Sayed's checked luggage at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Cairo via London. 

HSI Boston acting Special Agent In Charge Jason J. Molina joined U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI, Boston Field Division, Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, and Lawrence, Mass. Police Chief Roy P. Vasque in announcing the results of the operation at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. federal court building in Boston Nov. 15.

On April 16, 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Jason Scott Pedro, 37, of Clinton, Oklahoma, for illegally possessing a firearm Feb. 7, 2019, during a traffic stop. In particular, he possessed a lower receiver of an AR-15-style rifle, along with five, loaded high-capacity magazines.

Manual Lozano, 33, from Corpus Christi and member of the Sureno 13 gang was sentenced Thursday to nearly 11 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Miguel Sanchez Alvarez, aka Raul Laureano Sanchez Alvarez, 43, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced Oct. 22 to 36 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.

Over the course of the six-week investigation, law enforcement seized a total of 68 firearms – 30 of which were “ghost guns” or firearms that bore no serial numbers – more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition, and 1.3 pounds of methamphetamine.

Leng Lee, 35, of Sarcoxie, Missouri, was charged in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. The superseding indictment replaces an initial indictment returned on May 7, which charged Lee with being a felon illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.

Omran Ismail, 53, of Burbank, Illinois, was found guilty of both counts against him: one count of conspiracy to knowingly make a materially false statement to a licensed dealer and knowingly and willfully smuggle firearms on a common carrier, and one count of acquiring a firearm from a licensed dealer by means of a materially false statement.

Xiangyu Zhang, an illegal alien from China residing in La Marque, Texas, was sentenced to 61 months in federal prison on March 14; he received 37 months for the firearms conviction, and a mandatory consecutive 24 months for identity theft.

Juan A. Mexicano, 33, of Addison, Illinois, was sentenced Friday to seven years imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections. On Aug. 24, 2018, he pleaded guilty to nine felony counts of unlawfully using a weapon. In December 2018, he was also sentenced in California to more than 11 years in federal prison on a related cocaine trafficking conviction.

Xiangyu Zhang, 22, a resident of La Marque, Texas, illegally remained in the United States two years after his temporary visa expired.  He came to law enforcement’s attention in July 2018 when he threatened to use firearms to kill school children during an internet chat session on the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Crisis Line.  Zhang is a not a U.S. veteran.

On Dec. 11, James Randall Lee Ross, aka “Silver”, 45, became the latest defendant to be sentenced as a result of the investigation when he was ordered by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, to serve 292 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Patrick Germain, 45, of Evanston, Illinois, pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly and fraudulently attempting to export firearms contrary to the laws and regulations of the United States. 

A jury found Katherine O'Neal, 43, guilty of smuggling goods from the United States on March 6, 2018. O'Neal was acquitted on other counts alleging false information on firearm-purchase forms and money laundering.

Alexis Lopez, 21, from Roma, Texas, was sentenced Aug. 28 by U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to 51 months in prison. The sentence was enhanced as the court took into consideration the fact that Lopez recruited and directed three straw purchasers to purchase a total of four .50 caliber rifles on his behalf.

Moises Alvarado, 19, pleaded guilty to the charges May 16, 2018. On Aug. 21, Alvarado was sentenced to 108 months for the synthetic cannabinoid offense, as well as a 120-month consecutive term for discharging a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Following his prison term, Alvarado must also serve three years of supervised release. 

Navor Salas-Cruz, 45, a Mexican national residing on Kauai, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright today to 30 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, and for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Santos Alfredo Paz-Ruiz, 42, was sentenced Aug. 13 to 33 months in federal prison for firearms violations.  On May 10, 2018, Paz-Ruiz pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien unlawfully possessing a firearm.