Caldwell Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Unlawful Possession of Firearm

BOISE—Baldemar Arteaga, Jr., 28, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Boise to 84 months in prison for unlawfully possessing two shotguns, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Arteaga to serve three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 2, 2012.

According to court documents, on February 24, 2011, Arteaga and his co-defendant sold two shotguns—a sawed-off Smith & Wesson 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun with an obliterated serial number—to another individual for $200 at Arteaga’s residence in Caldwell. Artega is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2005 conviction in Minidoka County, Idaho for felony possession of a controlled substance.

Co-defendant Jennifer Ann Hillyard, 28, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced in July to 51 months for her role in the sale of the shotguns.

The case was investigated by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, a task force comprised of local and federal law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho Department of Correction, Meridian Police Department, and Nampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho, and housed in the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership comprises a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.