Hogsett Announces Multiple Arrests, Dozens of Firearms Seized
Firearms Trafficking Investigation Yields Machine Guns, Sawed-Off Shotguns, Further Strengthening Results of Violent Crime Initiative

INDIANAPOLIS—Joseph H. Hogsett, United States Attorney, announced today that four individuals from central Indiana are under arrest in connection with a year-long firearms trafficking investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Arrested were Victor Espinoza, of Danville, and Robert Goings, Carlos Saavedra-Gallegos (“Saavedra”), and Federico Garza, all of Indianapolis. Another alleged participant in the trafficking operation remains a fugitive at this time.

“Thanks to the tireless work of federal law enforcement officers, we can announce today that nearly three dozen heavy firearms have been taken off the streets,” Hogsett said. “The charges we have filed paint a picture of complete disregard for the law and the safety of this area.”

All told, these arrests resulted in the seizure of nearly three dozen firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition. This includes 21 weapons that were purchased as a result of an undercover operation and an additional 13 weapons that were discovered in the course of arresting the four men. This large weapons cache included the following:

• Two fully automatic machineguns (an AR-15 rifle and a foreign-made Uzi)
• Three AK-47 type rifles, one 9mm assault rifle, and a 5.6mm assault rifle 
• At least one short-barreled (sawed-off) shotgun, and at least two other doublebarreled shotguns
• Numerous stolen handguns

The criminal complaints filed with respect to the four individuals allege that on various dates between March of 2010 and October of 2011, undercover agents and a FBI confidential informant purchased a total of 19 firearms from Espinoza, Goings, and Garza. Saavedra, who has been identified as an illegal alien, is alleged to have acted as a middleman and to have set up deals in which the FBI informant purchased firearms from Garza and two additional firearms from an individual who is still being sought.

The trafficking operation was coordinated between Danville and Indianapolis, with a number of the alleged sales taking place on U.S. 40 on the west side of Indianapolis. Hogsett and representatives from both the FBI and ATF held a press conference at this location this afternoon.

“We are here today to send a simple message,” Hogsett said. “If you illegally possess firearms, if you misuse them, or if you provide these weapons to others in disregard of both the law and common sense, we will find you and you will face the full force of federal prosecution.”

Today’s charges are the latest in a string of gun-related prosecutions undertaken by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of its Violent Crime Initiative. Announced by Hogsett in March of this year, the initiative represents a comprehensive district-wide strategy to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities through improved local collaboration and aggressive federal prosecution.

Already this year, the VCI has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of gunrelated charges—from 14 felony possession of a firearm charges in 2010 to 74 already in 2011. Major drug trafficking indictments are up 100 percent from where they were two years ago. And the United States Attorney’s Office has seized more than $3.6 million in assets from drug traffickers this year, which is five times more than was seized in 2010. A chart outlining the increases in gun-related prosecutions is included below.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Rinka, who is prosecuting the case for the government, the four men arrested today face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each separate count against them. An initial hearing will be scheduled at a later time in Indianapolis, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

SUMMARY OF FIREARM CHARGES
CALENDAR YEAR 2011
(As of October 17, 2011)

SUMMARY OF FIREARM CHARGES
CALENDAR YEAR 2010