Javier Orozco, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, New Mexico 2014

In a shocking display of defiance, 30-year-old Javier Orozco has been sentenced to 84 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

According to court records, Orozco and his brother, Victor Manuel Carreon, 24, were arrested on September 5, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging them with being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. The two were subsequently indicted on these charges on December 11, 2013.

The indictment alleges that Carreon and Orozco unlawfully possessed firearms and ammunition in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, on June 19, 2013. At the time, the brothers were prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because they were convicted felons. Carreon previously had been convicted for possession of a controlled substance and aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, and Orozco had been convicted for shooting at a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.

On June 19, 2013, Carreon and Orozco were arrested on state charges by Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies who were seeking to arrest Carreon on state warrants. The deputies detained Orozco in the vicinity of a truck parked outside a residence in Anthony, and arrested Carreon inside the residence. At the time of his arrest, Carreon was near a trash can that contained a loaded handgun; he admitted ownership of the handgun during a post-arrest interview.

The deputies arrested Orozco after they allegedly found a large amount of cash and a plastic bag containing methamphetamine in Orozco’s pockets. During a search of the truck, which allegedly was driven primarily by Orozco, officers allegedly found additional currency and a loaded handgun.

Orozco pleaded guilty to the charges on February 11, 2014, and was sentenced on March 25, 2014, to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. His brother, Victor Manuel Carreon, had previously pleaded guilty to the charges on January 7, 2014, and was sentenced on May 21, 2014, to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.

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