The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma has made public the sentencing of six individuals from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on various federal firearms charges. The group was involved in an illicit scheme to acquire and distribute firearms, circumventing legal restrictions placed on convicted felons.
Eduardo Garcia, better known by his nickname "Lalo", was handed an 18-month prison sentence yesterday, after pleading guilty in May to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, as reported by the United States Attorney's Office. The 55-year-old Garcia's rap sheet includes a conviction that prohibits him from legally owning, a firearm, yet evidence presented during the investigation revealed an arsenal in his possession, including shotguns, rifles, and a cache of ammunition.
Accomplices Eric Lopez, Eric Jesus Lopez, Savanna Jade Lopez, and Christian Lopez, along with Francisco Hernandez, acted as "straw purchasers," obtaining firearms on Garcia's behalf. Each pleaded guilty to making false statements during the purchase of firearms and was handed five years' probation, except Hernandez, who received four years. In a stark reminder of the far-reaching impact of such offenses, one of the firearms purchased by the group was recovered in Mexico.
The outcome is a significant win for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaborative initiative aimed at reducing violent crimes and gun violence, “When family and friends choose to commit crime together, they become felons together. Federal firearms laws are designed to keep weapons from those that shouldn’t have them, and today’s sentencing is a notice to all that ATF and its partners will relentlessly pursue those who choose to ignore them. Whether you are a felon in possession or supplying prohibited persons with firearms, we will find you and prosecute,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II expressed. Garcia will remain out of custody pending his placement at a federal penitentiary. The case was presided over by Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where Assistant United States Attorney Erin Cornell represented the United States, according to the same press release.
