News Releases and Statements

According to court evidence, Lexington police officers arrested Jesus Humberto Bernal-Berreaza, 19, on Dec. 7, 2017, for carrying a loaded and concealed .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun.

Dulce Maria Rippstine, 38 from San Juan, Texas, and Juan Martin Segura-Olvera, 57, from Reynosa, Mexico, appeared before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera March 14 where both were sentenced to prison. Judge Olvera ordered Rippstine to serve 37 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release.  Segura-Olvera was ordered to serve 50 months imprisonment. Because Segura-Olvera is an illegal alien, after he completes his prison sentence, he will be transferred to ICE custody to be placed in removal proceedings.

On Nov. 7, 2017, Edwin Vergara-Cedillo, 32, pleaded guilty to two federal charges: illegal re-entry after deportation, and possessing a firearm by an illegal alien.

Ruben Arnoldo Madrid, 21, from Laredo, was sentenced Dec. 14 by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release.  On June 2, 2017, Madrid pleaded guilty for his role in smuggling firearms into Mexico.

In April 2017, Edgar Solorzano, 24, of Dallas, pleaded guilty to the following charges:  one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; two counts of assault on a federal officer; and one count of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.  He has been in custody since the time of his arrest in August 2016.  On Nov. 20, 2017, U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay sentenced him to 231 months in prison.

In addition to his prison sentence Anthony Lee Gambino, 45, of Farmington, New Mexico, must serve three years on supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. According to court filings, Gambino was the owner and operator of Gambino Security Safety Corp., a security company based in Aztec, New Mexico. 

Julian Prezas, 37, from San Antonio was sentenced Nov. 2 by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia to 200 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and he must pay a $600 special assessment fee.  On Dec. 12, 2016, Prezas pleaded guilty to five counts of making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and one count of attempting to export into Mexico defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List without obtaining a license or written authorization.

In April 2017, following a four-day trial, Victor Manuel Solorzano, 32, of Dallas, was convicted of the following charges:  one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; two counts of assault of a federal officer; and two counts of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Adam Davis, 37, of Rockland, Maine, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally importing the synthetic opioid U-47700, also known as “Pink” or “U4,” and to illegally possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance.

Kane County (Illinois) State’s Attorney Joe McMahon alleges in charging documents that Ira A. Burdine, 40, from Zion, Illinois; Dana J. Prouty, 46, from Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Favio Velazquez, 38, from Columbus, Ohio, intentionally and unlawfully provided false information — and affirmed that he or she was not acquiring firearms on the behalf of another person — to collectively purchase 29 shotguns and .50-caliber rifles.

Eduvier Navidad-Vizcarra, 22, was booked into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service based on charges detailed in a federal criminal complaint which accuses him of attempting to illegally export goods from the United States.

Peter Steve Plesinger, 55, of Sahuarita, and Stephen Edward Smith, 63, of Tucson, were sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto. Plesinger received a term of 87 months. Smith was sentenced to 102 months in prison. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to exporting munitions to Hong Kong, dealing firearms without a license, and money laundering. Two other defendants, Irina Cvetkovic and Earl Richmond, both of Sahuarita, were charged and convicted for lessor roles in the conspiracy. 

Eduardo Hinojosa, aka “Lalo,” 49, a U.S. citizen residing in Piedra Negras, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses March 28 to 78 months in federal prison. Judge Moses also ordered Hinojosa to pay a $3,000 fine and to be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after he completes his prison term.

Gabriel Rivero, 41, appeared in federal court Tuesday before U.S. Senior District Judge Frank R. Zapata. At the sentencing, Judge Zapata ordered that Rivero will be subject to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

According to court filings, Anthony Lee Gambino, 44, from Farmington, New Mexico, was the owner and operator of Gambino Security Safety Corp., a security company based in Aztec, New Mexico.

The federal agencies combined efforts to arrest Luis Venancio Cueto-Ruiz, Leonardo Mateo Cueto-Ruiz, and Gilberto Ulloa-Aguirre Dec. 14 in Everett following a probe into their drug trafficking organization, which is believed to be linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Bail is set at $250,000 each for the three defendants.

A Mexican woman was sentenced in federal court Monday to time served for unlawfully possessing a firearm connected to a Kansas homicide.

Bassem Afif Herz, 31, of Cedar Rapids, was sentenced to 97 months in prison following his previous guilty plea to various charges related to a scheme to illegally export hundreds of firearms to Lebanon.

Dimas Rodriguez, 44, and Jose Gertudis Partida, 71, both appeared before U.S. Magistrate Micaela Alvarez Dec. 8 ordered Rodriguez and Partida to serve 70 and 30 months in federal prison, respectively.

Those arrested include Celin Javier Montoya, 23, Anthony Ozuna, 20, Alfredo Rivera, 24, and Pedro Vega, 40, all of Edinburg, Texas; Noe Gonzalez, 19, of San Juan, Texas; and Jonathan Sanchez-Torres, 19, an illegal alien from Mexico who was residing in Pharr, Texas.

Jeffrey Burlingame, 59, was arrested in February 2016 on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The complaint alleged that Burlingame committed the crime Feb. 24, 2016, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

Ali Afif Al Herz, 51, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, previously pleaded guilty to multiple counts that included the following crimes: conspiring to deal in firearms without a license, conspiring to illegally ship firearms in interstate and foreign commerce, conspiring to commit money laundering, violating the Arms Export Control Act, and possessing firearms after having previously been convicted of a crime of domestic violence.

Joshua Craig Rowling, 18, of Richmondville, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of possession of a silencer.

Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, 22, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. In her plea, she admitted that on May 7, 2015, she unlawfully possessed a Glock model 30 .45-caliber pistol. Her visitor’s visa had expired in February 1998.

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.