Two Honduran nationals, found to be illegally present in the United States, have been handed prison sentences in Springfield for firearms possession. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Walter Geovanni Arteta-Gonzalez, 33, and Santos Fernando Zepeda-Arteta, 21, were sentenced on July 10 and 11, respectively.
Arteta-Gonzalez will serve 18 months for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and, for illegal re-entry after removal. Acting on reports of gunfire at a Springfield hotel on November 27, 2023, local police identified the men through eyewitness accounts and hotel surveillance footage, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois. They admitted to the possession of the firearms to the responding officers, with Arteta-Gonzalez adding that he discharged his weapon "just for fun." Zepeda-Arteta's firearm was confirmed as stolen from St. Louis, Missouri.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person can reach up to 15 years in prison, alongside a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Zepeda-Arteta's 14-month sentence is reflective of these potential penalties, despite falling on the lower end of the spectrum.
Furthermore, for Arteta-Gonzalez, this incident marked an illegal re-entry after a previous removal from the United States. For this charge alone, offenders may face up to two years of imprisonment and similar financial penalties as those for illegal firearm possession. Since their arrest, both men have been in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois.
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