Anthony Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition

ALBUQUERQUE—Victor Manuel Carreon, 23, of Anthony, New Mexico, pleaded guilty this afternoon in Las Cruces federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Carreon entered his guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Carreon and his brother Javier Orozco, 29, also of Anthony, were arrested on September 5, 2013, based on a criminal complaint charging them with being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. The two were subsequently indicted on these charges on December 11, 2013. The indictment alleges that Carreon and Orozco unlawfully possessed firearms and ammunition in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, on June 19, 2013. At the time, the brothers were prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because they were convicted felons. Carreon previously had been convicted for possession of a controlled substance and aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, and Orozco had been convicted for shooting at a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 19, 2013, Carreon and Orozco were arrested on state charges by Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies who were seeking to arrest Carreon on state warrants. The deputies detained Orozco in the vicinity of a truck parked outside a residence in Anthony and arrested Carreon inside the residence. At the time of his arrest, Carreon was near a trash can that contained a loaded handgun; he admitted ownership of the handgun during a post-arrest interview. The deputies arrested Orozco after they allegedly found a large amount of cash and a plastic bag containing methamphetamine in Orozco’s pockets. During a search of the truck, which allegedly was driven primarily by Orozco, officers allegedly found additional currency and a loaded handgun.

During today’s proceedings, Carreon pled guilty to count two of the indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and admitted that he unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition on June 19, 2013. Carreon has been in federal custody since his arrest in September 2013 and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. Carreon faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced.

Orozco also has been in federal custody since his arrest in this case. Orozco has pleaded not guilty to the indictment, which is merely an accusation. Orozco is presumed innocent unless he is found guilty in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the 3th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.