California Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Selling Guns, Meth Over Internet

Crime Wave Hits New Jersey: California Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Selling Guns, Meth Over Internet

A California man has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to sell firearms and methamphetamine via the internet, according to a recent announcement from the U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Angelo Chavez, 24, of Manteca, California, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to unlawfully deal in firearms and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chavez was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, undercover law enforcement agents began communicating with Chavez and several conspirators via a social media platform in August 2020. The agents purchased 13 firearms from Chavez and his conspirators, including six AR-15 firearms, two of which were shipped with auto sear switches that enabled the firearms to function as fully automatic machine guns. The agents also purchased methamphetamine from Chavez and his conspirators.

Chavez and his conspirators were paid mostly in cryptocurrency and mailed the drugs and guns from addresses in California to New Jersey. The investigation was led by postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark and special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Newark.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited the postal inspectors and special agents with the investigation leading to the sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.

Chavez was also sentenced to three years of supervised release in addition to the prison term. His guilty plea and sentencing bring an end to a case that highlights the dangers of internet-facilitated crime and the importance of law enforcement working together to combat it.