Foreign National Indicted On Firearm And Immigration Charges

On April 18, 2013, Antonio Rea-Fabela, 36, a citizen of Mexico, who most recently resided in St. Louis, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in East St. Louis, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. The Grand Jury charged Rea-Fabela, also known as Roman Guadarrama, with Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien (Count 1); and Entry Into the United States Without Inspection (Count 2). Upon conviction, Count 1 carries a possible penalty of not more than ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, not more than three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment; Count 2 carries a possible penalty of six months in prison, a $5000 fine and a $10 special assessment.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the Government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Antonio Rea-Fabela is currently in the custody of immigration officials pending his arraignment. Evidence for this indictment was gathered during an investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department. This case has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Randy G. Massey for prosecution.