08/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 13:44
SAN ANTONIO - 12 individuals were arrested Tuesday in San Antonio on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in trafficking firearms stolen from vehicles in and around San Antonio.
The following defendants were indicted in a federal court in San Antonio for various charges that include firearm trafficking, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a machine gun.
Jonathan Adrian Briseno aka "SaTone Slick," 20
Ruben Gonzalez Jr., aka "Roman Hernandez," 29
Joel Alejandro Martinez aka "Bo Jackson," 25
Margarita Hernandez Martinez, 43
Julio Alejandro Sanchez, 27
Arnulfo Javier Maldonado, 21
Darius Springs aka "Dee STN," 21
Giovanni Martinez Larios, 18
Jesus Hernandez Jr. aka "Chuy," 22
Bernardo Melendez Jr., 25
Joe Randy Cano, 34
Patrick Michael Cuellar, 23
Defendants indicted on charges related to machine gun possession allegedly possessed machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as "switches" or "auto sears," which are designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a semi-automatic weapon into a weapon that can be fired as a fully automatic weapon by a single function of the trigger.
Penalties in the indictments range from up to five years in prison for dealing in firearms without a license, to a maximum of 10 years in prison for the possession charges, and up to 15 years in prison for the firearm trafficking and felon in possession charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case with valuable support from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Wannarka and Zachary Parsons are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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