Joel Bustamante Moreno, Machine Gun and Immigration Violations, Texas 2024
BEAUMONT, Texas – A local resident has been found guilty of federal immigration and firearms violations, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.Joel Bustamante Moreno, 25, pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry by a deported alien and unlawful possession of a machine gun before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on March 18, 2025.
Moreno was arrested after February 1, 2024, after selling multiple firearms, including a 9mm pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device, also known as a Glock switch. Machine gun conversion devices are devices that once affixed to a pistol make the pistol capable of firing automatically by a single trigger pull. These devices allow a pistol to operate as a machine gun. After the purchase, law enforcement attempted to arrest Moreno as he fled the scene in his vehicle. Moreno wrecked the vehicle and fled on foot to a residence where he was arrested. Moreno had been previously deported in 2019 and 2020 and did not have permission to be in the United States.
Moreno was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 20, 2024. Moreno faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is a violent crime reduction strategy based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Nacogdoches Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
Defendant: Joel Bustamante Moreno
Criminal Charges: Unlawful reentry by a deported alien and unlawful possession of a machine gun
City and State: BEAUMONT, Texas
Exact Date: February 1, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: Up to 10 years in federal prison
Additional Facts: Previously deported in 2019 and 2020, faces up to 10 years in federal prison, and has a sentencing hearing scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
Case Summary: Joel Bustamante Moreno, a 25-year-old man, pleaded guilty to federal immigration and firearms violations, including unlawful reentry by a deported alien and unlawful possession of a machine gun. Moreno was arrested after selling multiple firearms and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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