Two Port Saint Lucie Men Sentenced On Firearms Conspiracy Charges

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announce yesterday’s sentencing of defendants Vincent Olavarria, Jr., 46, and Darren D. Cuff, 26, both of Port St. Lucie, on charges of conspiracy to violate federal firearms sales laws and making false statements to a federal officer. Olavarria had previously pled guilty to conspiracy to violate federal firearms laws, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Cuff had previously pled guilty to making false statements to a federal officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, in the course of the investigation of this case. At yesterday’s hearing, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced Olavarria to 34 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release; Judge Moore sentenced Cuff to 21 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release.

From March 2010 through December 2011, defendant Olavarria was a federally licensed firearms dealer in Port St. Lucie. Olavarria conspired with other defendants including defendant Cuff to falsify firearms sales records and conceal the actual buyers and true destination of sixty rifles that Olavarria had sold to an undocumented buyer. In concert with Olavarria and at his direction, Cuff and others pretended to be the buyers, and lied to ATF agents investigating the sales and transfer of the rifles, claiming to have taken the rifles and resold them on the street, when in fact they had all gone to another purchaser as yet unknown to ATF.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the ATF. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Cooperstein.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.