Mexican Mafia gang member heads back to prison for illegal firearm

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm while a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Alonso Guerrero Garcia pleaded guilty Nov. 3, 2023.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Garcia to serve 120 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Garcia used the firearm to forcibly abduct two individuals at gunpoint before he was apprehended.

On Jun. 3, 2023, authorities encountered Garcia when they conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling the wrong way down a one-way street at a high rate of speed. 

Garcia, a known Mexican Mafia gang member, was in the rear seat of the vehicle. During a search, authorities discovered a Springfield Armory Champion 9mm pistol with gold grips and Aztec markings under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Authorities also discovered photographs of Garcia holding the distinctive firearm.

Further investigation revealed Garcia had been previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in addition to convictions for aggravated assault and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm per federal law.

Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Marck and Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.