Carlos Ballesteros, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Idaho 2022

A Nampa man has found himself on the wrong side of the law after pleading guilty to a serious crime.

Carlos Ballesteros, 28, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm, a charge that carries severe penalties.

According to court records, the incident took place on May 30, 2021, when law enforcement and emergency medical services responded to a single-vehicle crash in Nampa. Ballesteros was a passenger in the vehicle and was found to be in possession of a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol in his waistband.

What makes this case particularly egregious is that Ballesteros had previously been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho in 2020. As a result, he was prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the crash.

Ballesteros was also still on supervised release for his 2020 conviction at the time of the incident, making his actions even more reckless and irresponsible.

The case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth.

Ballesteros is scheduled to be sentenced on February 15, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., commended the cooperative efforts of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, which led to charges. The Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Nampa Police Department; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Boise Police Department; Caldwell Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; Meridian Police Department; and Idaho Department of Correction.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-id/pr/nampa-man-pleads-guilty-unlawful-possession-firearm