Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 31, 2011 |
LAS CRUCES, NM—United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that today, Jason Lee Gonzales, 33, of Roswell, pled guilty to an information charging him with making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer in connection with the purchase of 10 firearms from Zia Trading in Roswell, New Mexico between July 11, 2009 and February 5, 2010.
According to a criminal complaint filed on November 8, 2010, Carlos Martell paid Gonzales to purchase the firearms on Martell’s behalf. Gonzales, however, stated on the forms he filled out at the time of the purchases that he was the actual buyer of the firearms. Martell, who pled guilty to the same charge on October 25, 2010, is pending sentencing.
According to the information filed in federal court today, the firearms Gonzales purchased on Martell’s behalf included AK-47 type assault rifles, an AR-15 type assault rifle, and semi-automatic pistols.
Gonzales, who remains on bond pending sentencing, faces up to five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Roswell, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Lichvarcik.