KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man has been sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and possessing a machine gun.
Judge Gary A. Fenner sentenced Jonathan Villegas-Escobar, 26, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, to 17 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.
Villegas-Escobar pleaded guilty to possessing a machine gun on March 6, 2017. He also pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to using a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.
During the course of the methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, Villegas-Escobar admitted that the amount of drugs foreseeable to him was 692.39 grams of pure methamphetamine. He also admitted responsibility for 5.29 kilograms of cocaine distributed with co-defendant Demond Robins, 36, of Kansas City.
Law enforcement officers seized approximately $152,675, which equates to approximately 3.392 kilograms of cocaine. Villegas-Escobar also admitted that he carried and used a .40-caliber Hi-Point rifle in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
In a separate federal case, Villegas-Escobar admitted that he possessed a machine gun on March 24, 2015. He sold another individual a Glock 9mm handgun, which had been converted into a fully-automatic machine gun.
Demond Robins pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole for his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and for participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. Jose Aguayo-Rodriguez, a co-defendant, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in federal prison without parole.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Jonathan Villegas-Escobar; Charges: Possessing a machine gun, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, using a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime; City: Kansas City, Mo.; State: Missouri; Date: March 6, 2017; Sentence: 17 years and 7 months in federal prison without parole; Dollar amounts: $152,675.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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