Defendant Charged with Possession of Firearm by Illegal Alien
Miami, FL – Luis Ernesto Veliz Riera, a 23-year-old Venezuelan national and suspected member of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, has been charged with possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, a federal crime. According to the unsealed criminal complaint affidavit, Veliz Riera used the now-disabled Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One Application to enter the United States in 2023.
On February 2023, Veliz Riera was allowed to enter the United States at the Mexico-El Paso, Texas border after appearing for an appointment he booked online through the (now inactive) CBP One Application system. Prior to being shut down on January 20, 2025, the online system allowed undocumented aliens to submit information and schedule appointments at eight southwest United States border ports of entry.
Veliz Riera was subsequently stopped by local law enforcement on October 17, 2024, in connection with an investigation into potential TdA illegal activity. Records and other checks showed that Veliz Riera was wanted on an open state crime warrant and that he was in the country illegally.
Further investigation showed that, despite his illegal status, Veliz Riera kept a Taurus, PT609 Pro 9mm, semi-automatic handgun with a 30-round magazine inside the Homestead hotel room he shared with his girlfriend and that he had loaded the gun earlier that day, says the affidavit.
On October 17, 2024, Veliz Riera was arrested on state charges. He was subsequently released into the community on electronic monitoring on November 16, 2024. However, on February 3, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) administratively arrested Veliz Riera to reexamine the decision to release him from immigration detention.
On February 14, 2025, Miami federal prosecutors charged Veliz Riera with one count of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A). During his initial appearance in federal court today, Veliz Riera agreed to remain in Bureau of Prisons custody pending trial.
The case is being investigated by HSI-Miami’s Fort Lauderdale office, with assistance from federal task force officers from the Homestead Police Department, City of Miami Police Department, Sweetwater Police Department, and Broward Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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