FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment
today charging seven Tennessee and California residents with various firearms
offenses, including conspiracy to traffic in firearms by an unlicensed person,
illegal transportation of firearms, and being a felon in possession of
firearms, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. None of the defendants is
licensed to deal or import firearms.
Rafael Sanchez Jr., 38, of Kettleman City, Califorinia, is
charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic in firearms by an unlicensed
person, three counts of illegal transportation of firearms and three counts of
being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Alexis Sanchez, 19, of Kettleman City; and Tennessee
residents Juan Daniel Gonzalez-Vazquez, 24; Victor Luna, 23; Ashley Sanchez,
22; and Elvia Sanchez, 40, are all charged with one count of conspiracy to
traffic in firearms by an unlicensed person and three counts of illegal
transportation of firearms
Veronica Ramirez, 38, of Lemoore, California, was charged
with one count of conspiracy to traffic in firearms by an unlicensed person.
According to court documents, between April 2016 and March
2018, Rafael Sanchez conspired to have firearms purchased in Tennessee and
shipped to him in California. Rafael Sanchez and Alexis Sanchez then
transferred money to the Tennessee co-conspirators. With the assistance of
Ramirez, Rafael Sanchez identified California-based purchasers and offered to
sell them the firearms he received from Tennessee.
According to the indictment, the Tennessee co-conspirators
shipped numerous firearms to California, including .45, .40 and 9 mm caliber
handguns, as well as ammunition and firearms accessories, including extended
magazines. In November 2017, Rafael Sanchez offered to sell to an associate in
California an AR-15-style rifle with two 30-round magazines for $1,000.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Lenoir City Police
Department in Tennessee, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Eastern District of Tennessee assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case in the Eastern District
of California.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory
penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine for each of the conspiracy
and firearms offenses. Rafael Sanchez faces an a maximum statutory penalty of
10 years in prison and $250,000 fine if convicted of the separate felon in
possession of firearms counts. Any sentence, however, would be determined at
the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory
factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number
of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed
innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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