A Texas man from Brownsville has been locked up for a firearm smuggling operation, marking the end of his illicit dealings that involved stealing identities to purchase weapons for Mexican cartels.
Leonardo Barroso, 32, has been sentenced to 111 months in federal prison following his confession last year. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered the sentence, which includes an 87-month term for straw purchasing firearms and a consecutive mandatory 24 months for aggravated identity theft. The decision, announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, will lead Barroso into three years of supervised release after his time behind bars.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Barroso's dual role as a door-to-door electricity salesman was part of a scheme to misuse customer information, allowing him to buy over 20 firearms. These guns, authorities stated, were intended to end up in the hands of cartel members across the border.
In a calculated move on February 7, Barroso used stolen identity details to purchase a gun from a Corpus Christi dealer, weaving a web of deceit that included falsifying paperwork at the point of sale. Furthermore, his admission to law enforcement detailed how he transported additional firearms out of the U.S., pulling in Mexican nationals to further his smuggling operation.
Barroso's case was brought to a close by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with attorneys John Marck and Lance Watt carrying out the prosecution. He is currently held in custody and awaits transfer to an undetermined federal prison facility.
