A California man has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to sell guns and methamphetamine over the internet, a brazen crime that highlights the dangers of online trafficking.
Angelo Chavez, 24, of Manteca, California, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to unlawfully sell firearms and methamphetamine via the internet, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Chavez pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, undercover law enforcement agents began communicating with Chavez and his conspirators via a social media platform in August 2020, where they advertised for sale various narcotics and firearms.
Between August 2020 and December 2021, undercover agents purchased 13 firearms from Chavez and his conspirators, including six AR-15 firearms, two of which were shipped with auto sear switches that enable the firearms to function as fully automatic machine guns.
Chavez and his conspirators were paid mostly in cryptocurrency and mailed the drugs and guns from addresses in California to New Jersey, a brazen scheme that highlights the ease of sending contraband across state lines.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Chavez to three years of supervised release, a stark reminder of the consequences of online crime.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation that led to Chavez’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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