Las Cruces Man Convicted of Unregistered AR-15 and Illicit Ammo

ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was convicted by a federal jury of federal firearms and ammunition offenses, including possession of a short-barreled AR-15.

Delbert Tyler Trevino, 32, was found guilty of possessing an unregistered short-barreled American Tactical, model Omni Hybrid, multicaliber rifle, along with illegally receiving 5.56mm and 9mm ammunition while under indictment for three felony crimes in El Paso County, Texas.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on September 2, 2022, in connection with a homicide investigation, search warrants were executed by the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office on a residence where Trevino was house sitting. During the search, law enforcement officers recovered the short-barreled rifle in the closet of the spare bedroom where Trevino was staying.

The barrel of the rifle was approximately ten inches in length and had not been registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Additionally, spent 9mm casings were recovered from the property and the truck Trevino was driving.

Trevino had illegally purchased 5.56mm and 9mm ammunition from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on two separate occasions in July and August of 2022, while under indictment. The ammunition recovered from Trevino’s bedroom matched the description of the ammunition he purchased.

Trevino is facing up to ten years in prison for the short-barreled rifle charge and up to five years in prison for each of the illegal receipt of ammunition charges. He is also subject to up to three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment. The Court has ordered that Trevino remain in detention pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison are prosecuting the case.

The homicide investigation remains pending. If you have any information relating to this matter or other crimes committed by Trevino, please contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at 1-888-ATF-TIPS or ATFTips@atf.gov.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives commend the bravery and dedication of the law enforcement officers who worked on this case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

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