A former Starr County sheriff’s office jailer has entered a guilty plea to charges of straw purchasing a firearm receiver for a Mexican national. Gonzalo Everardo Gonzalez, 32, admitted he lied on a firearms purchase form – a serious offense that could significantly land him in federal prison.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, the straw purchase occurred on June 13, 2023. Gonzalez attempted to covertly act as a proxy buyer, by stating he was the actual purchaser of a firearm receiver. However, investigations uncovered that the receiver was to eventually find its way across the border, smuggled into Mexico. At the time of the false statement, Gonzalez was employed as a jailer. This has raised concerns about the potential involvement of law enforcement in illegal arms trafficking.
The case draws the spotlight on the ongoing issue of guns illegally crossing into Mexico. Straw purchasing, where someone buys a firearm on behalf of another person who is either unwilling or unable to do so themselves, can contribute to the trafficking problem. Gonzalez now faces the consequences of his actions with the possibility of a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
Gonzalez is currently out on bond, awaiting a sentencing scheduled for October 8 by Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, as detailed in the official statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The crucial investigation that brought Gonzalez's actions to light was a joint operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations, highlighting the combined efforts to tackle illegal firearm acquisitions. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is handling the prosecution.
