Straw purchasing rifles sends McAllen man to prison

McALLEN, Texas - A 22-year-old man has been sentenced for illegally purchasing firearms on behalf of a Mexican national, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Juan Hector Resendez-Meza III pleaded guilty May 31.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Resendez-Meza to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

At the time of his plea, Resendez-Meza admitted a man residing in Reynosa, Mexico, approached and asked him to purchase firearms on his behalf.

Resendez-Meza received $16,000 in cash to do so between May and August 2023. At the time of each purchase, Resendez-Meza lied on federal forms, claiming he was the true buyer.

He also admitted to illegally procuring three rifles on behalf of the Mexican citizen including a .50 caliber rifle. In addition, Resendez-Meza had previously bought and sold two pistols to the man.

Previously released on bond, Resendez was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda McColgan prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.