A federal court in Laredo has handed down a guilty verdict in a high-profile case involving straw purchasing firearms. Martin Lopez-Villela, a 51-year-old legal permanent resident of Dallas, has admitted to conspiring to defraud and smuggle goods from the United States.
According to court documents, Lopez-Villela engaged in a straw purchase by soliciting a middleman to conduct a firearm transaction for him. The true purchaser does not want to reveal his identity, frequently because federal law prohibits him from purchasing firearms.
On February 13, 2014, Lopez-Villela attempted to exit the United States and enter Mexico through the Lincoln Juarez Bridge in Laredo. During the inspection, agents discovered two .22 caliber semi-automatic firearms and five boxes containing 300 rounds of various handgun ammunition.
Lopez-Villela was traveling to San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to deliver the firearms and ammunition. He admitted to purchasing the two firearms from a firearms dealer in Dallas and was to transport them and the ammunition into Mexico. He expected to be paid a total of $450 upon delivery.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana will set a sentencing date in the near future. At sentencing, Lopez-Villela faces up to 10 years in federal prison for the straw purchasing conviction, as well as a maximum of 5 and 10 years, respectively, for the conspiracy and smuggling charges. All charges also carry a possible $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker is prosecuting the case.
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