Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Convicted of Providing Firearm to Felon

In Lakewood, Colorado, Johnny Alvarado, 33, was found guilty by a federal jury of providing a firearm to a felon. The verdict, delivered on Monday, March 4, marked a significant development in the case.

During a routine home visit to Kyle Garcia, a felon on supervised release, a U.S. probation officer discovered a loaded firearm in a closet. Garcia admitted to possessing the firearm, revealing that he received it from his brother-in-law, Johnny Alvarado, who serves as an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy. Alvarado confessed to knowingly providing the firearm to Garcia, despite being aware of his felon status.

Garcia, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, received a sentence of 66 months of probation. Meanwhile, Alvarado awaits sentencing, which will be determined at a later date by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the ATF, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Celeste Rangel and Aurora Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Perczak.

This significant case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering community trust, supporting preventive measures, and prioritizing strategic enforcement actions. The Department of Justice's launch of a violent crime reduction strategy in May 2021 further strengthened PSN's mission and objectives.

Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Prison for Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II of the District of Maine announced today that Lawrence Estrella, 65, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal of the District of Maine to 92 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for interstate transportation of stolen property.  Estrella pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2015.

According to court records and information from the sentencing hearing, in May 2013, six N.C. Wyeth paintings were stolen from a residence in Portland, Maine.  In November 2014, Estrella transported four of the six stolen paintings to California in an effort to sell them.  Law enforcement officers in California located his vehicle in the parking lot of a hotel in North Hollywood, California.  Estrella’s room at the hotel was searched and a firearm was located, but no paintings were found.

On Dec. 19, 2014, law enforcement officers recovered the four stolen paintings from a pawn shop in Beverly Hills, California.  The four recovered paintings are titled, “At a touch from Michael’s knife,” “The Unwrit Dogma,” “The Duel” and “John Brimblecombe.”  The four recovered paintings are worth more than $1 million.  Oscar Roberts, the man who used the stolen paintings to secure a loan from the Beverly Hills pawn shop, was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California and was sentenced to 28 months in prison.

The remaining two stolen paintings, “The Encounter on Freshwater Cliff” and “Go, Dutton, and that right speedily,” have not yet been recovered.

This case results from a joint investigation conducted by the FBI’s Portland and Los Angeles offices, the Portland Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.