Illegal Alien Sentenced To 24 Months For Illegally Possessing A Firearm

Jacksonville, Florida -United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Edgar Diaz Aquino (20, Jacksonville) to 24 months in federal prison, for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Aquino pleaded guilty to that offense on March 28, 2024. Following his prison sentence, Aquino will be deported from the United States.

According to the court documents, on November 16, 2023, Aquino was involved in an altercation with his girlfriend. During the altercation, Aquino retrieved a Glock pistol with an extended magazine and discharged it five feet away from his girlfriend's feet. When he was arrested by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officers, he admitted to possessing the firearm. Aquino was illegally present in the United States and admitted that he was a Honduran national and crossed into the United States through Mexico on April 2, 2019. Illegal aliens are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.