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Mount Pleasant Couple Charged with Firearms Trafficking and Drug Trafficking
In a shocking case of gun-running and narcotics, Deandre L. Rodgers, a 36-year-old resident of Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin, and Viridiana Garcia-Ramirez, a 24-year-old woman from Los Angeles, California, have been charged with a slew of federal crimes.
According to court documents, Rodgers and Garcia-Ramirez were involved in a conspiracy to purchase firearms from local gun stores in Wisconsin, alter or obliterate the serial numbers on those firearms, and sell them to others. Between December 2021 and March 2022, they allegedly purchased 11 handguns and 1 rifle from local gun stores.
On April 5, 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a warrant at a hotel in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin, where Rodgers and Garcia-Ramirez were staying. Inside the hotel room, agents found 29 individually wrapped plastic bags containing crack cocaine, two digital scales, and approximately $800, but none of the firearms.
Rodgers is prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of a prior felony conviction. The charges against the couple include conspiring to violate the laws of the United States, dealing in firearms without a license, making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, distribution of a controlled substance, using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The case was investigated by the ATF and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip T. Kovoor. An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
For further information, contact Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales at Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov or (414) 297-1700.
The indictment against Deandre L. Rodgers and Viridiana Garcia-Ramirez highlights the growing concern of gun trafficking and narcotics in the state of Wisconsin. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how this case will unfold.
Defendant: Deandre L. Rodgers, Viridiana Garcia-Ramirez
Criminal Charges: Conspiring to violate the laws of the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371), dealing in firearms without a license (18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A)), making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee (18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6)), unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)), distribution of a controlled substance (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)), using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)), and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)).
City and State: Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin
Date: April 19, 2022
Outcome: Currently pending indictment
Dollar Amount: $800
Key Facts
- State: Wisconsin
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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