FRESNO, Calif. – Rafael Sanchez, 40, of Kettleman City; Victor Luna, 25, and Ashley Sanchez, 23, both of Lenoir City, Tennessee pleaded guilty today to conspiring to traffic in firearms by an unlicensed person.
Rafael Sanchez also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, from April 2016 until March 2018, Tennessee-based co-conspirators Victor Luna, Ashley Sanchez, Juan Gonzalez-Mejia, and Alexis Sanchez assisted in purchasing firearms in Tennessee that were shipped to California.
Rafael Sanchez then sold the firearms to individuals in California. Rafael Sanchez also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm after having been convicted a felony violation of assault with a deadly weapon in 1999.
Rafael Sanchez admitted in his plea that, despite knowing he could not lawfully possess a firearm, he directed others to mail firearms to him in California, and on March 8, 2018, he was in possession of a ROMARM Cugir, Model Mini Draco.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Lenoir City Police Department in Tennessee, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee assisted in the investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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