DENVER, CO – A sworn officer of the law is facing federal consequences after a Denver jury convicted him of a brazen act of enabling criminal activity. Johnny Alvarado, 33, of Lakewood, was found guilty Monday, March 4, of providing a firearm to Kyle Garcia, a convicted felon. The verdict comes after a trial revealing Alvarado’s deliberate disregard for the law he’s pledged to uphold.
The case unfolded during a routine home visit by a U.S. probation officer to Garcia. Inside, the officer discovered a loaded firearm stashed in a closet. Garcia immediately admitted to possessing the weapon, even demonstrating he’d racked the slide to check for ammunition. Crucially, Garcia identified his brother-in-law – Johnny Alvarado, an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy – as the source of the gun.
In a stunning admission, Alvarado confessed to the probation officer that he knowingly handed the firearm to Garcia despite being fully aware of Garcia’s felony conviction. This isn’t a case of a lost or stolen weapon; it’s a deliberate act by a law enforcement officer to arm a known criminal, raising serious questions about Alvarado’s judgment and potential motivations.
Garcia has already faced justice for his role in the incident, pleading guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and receiving a sentence of 66 months of probation. Now, Alvarado awaits sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane. The length of his punishment remains to be seen, but the conviction itself is a damning indictment of his conduct.
The investigation was spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Celeste Rangel and Aurora Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Perczak. This case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaborative law enforcement efforts.
The Department of Justice emphasizes that PSN focuses on building trust with communities, supporting violence prevention programs, and strategically prioritizing enforcement. However, this case highlights a disturbing breach of trust from within the system itself. Case Number: 23-CR-00271-JLK. The public can contact USACO.PublicAffairs@usa.doj.gov for further information.
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