Greeley-Area Criminals Sentenced to a Combined 142 Years in Federal Prison as a Result of the ATF Rage Task Force’s Work

DENVER—The ATF-led Greeley RAGE (Regional Anti-Gang Enforcement) Task Force, including the Greeley Police Department and the FBI, have investigated, prosecuted, and now have had sentenced 30 defendants for gun and drug crimes in Greeley, U.S. Attorney John Walsh, Denver ATF Special Agent in Charge Andrew Traver, and Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner announced. The 30 Greeley area criminals were sentenced to a combined 142 years in federal prison (over 1,620 months). The sentences were pronounced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer.

“Our goal was to have a serious impact on criminals operating in Greeley,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “Thirty defendants have been held accountable for their crimes, making Greeley a safer place to live. Some of the defendants will be spending a significant amount of time behind bars for their drug and gun crimes.”

Those prosecuted and sentenced are:

• Jeramy Antuna, age 23, Greeley, sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment
• Anna Askvig, age 30, Greeley, sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment
• Serena Benavidez, age 39, Greeley, sentenced to 18.5 months’ imprisonment
• Luis Dominguez, age 31, Greeley, sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment
• Jose Luis Dominguez, age 37, Evans, sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment
• Rodolfo Dominguez, age 45, Fort Collins, sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment
• Norma Enriquez, age 26, Greeley, sentenced to five years’ probation
• Randy Frias, age 29, Evans, sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment
• Domingo Garcia, age 32, Greeley, sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment
• Chauvanna Gesick, age 25, Greeley, sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment
• Roseann Gonzales, age 27, Loveland, sentenced to 8 months’ imprisonment
• Michael Gurule, age 37, Greeley, sentenced to 50 months’ imprisonment
• Desiree Marie Hernandez, age 30, Greeley, sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment
• Freddie Kinzie-Garcia, age 26, Greeley, sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment
• Elisia Llamas, age 28, Greeley, sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment
• Aurelio Madrid, age 30, Greeley, sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment
• Terry Margheim, sentencing pending (November 1, 2012)
• Jose Martinez, age 34, Greeley, sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment
• Javier Medina, age 32, Greeley, sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment
• Amanda Montes, age 28, Eaton, sentenced to three years’ probation
• Carlos Morales-Gonzales, age 33, Greeley, sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment
• Elizabeth Navarro, age 25, Greeley, sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment
• Anthony Rivera, age 29, Greeley, sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment
• Todd Anthony Shelton, age 39, Greeley, sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment
• Brian Thompson, age 41, Greeley, sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment
• Onna Marie Trevino, age 21, Greeley, sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment
• Anthony Trujillo, age 34, Greeley, sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment
• Skyler Valencia, age 28, Greeley, sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment
• Michelle Versemann, age 26, Greeley, sentenced to five years’ probation
• Ernest Ruseell Williams, age 29, Greeley, sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment
• Alicia Baray-Deleon, sentenced to 77 months’ imprisonment

The defendants were originally charged with 139 counts of drug and gun crimes. Included in those charges were conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as well as substantive drug trafficking crimes. Some were charged with distribution in a school zone, and others were charged with distribution while a child under 18 is present. A defendant was also charged for maintaining a premises for the purpose of drug distribution. The remaining defendant, Terry Margheim, faces firearm charges, including possession of sawed-off shotguns. Margheim will be sentenced by U.S. Tenth Circuit Court Judge David M. Ebel sitting in Colorado by designation. Some defendants have already served their sentences.

“The impact these sentences are having on Greeley and Northern Colorado is immeasurable,” said Andrew Traver, Special Agent in Charge, Denver Field Division. “ATF will continue to work with our local partners to eradicate violent crime by taking criminals out of our neighborhoods and putting them behind bars.”

“Federal law enforcement has been a major partner of ours in going after Greeley’s worst offenders,” said Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner. “We expect to be doing more of the same in the future.”

These cases were investigated by the Greeley RAGE Task Force, which included the Greeley Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The task force is in direct partnership with the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.

The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasandra Carleton and M.J. Menendez.