TWIN FALLS MAN SENTENCED FOR GUN CRIME

Rafael Soto, 26, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, the United States Attorney’s Office announced.

Soto pled guilty to the charge in October 2008, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, who also ordered Soto to serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.

During his plea, Soto admitted possessing a semi-automatic pistol on March 8, 2008. The investigation also revealed Soto admitted illegally selling a rifle and methamphetamine within 300 feet of Buhl High School on March 26, 2008. Where Soto had been previously convicted of two felony counts of armed robbery in January of 1997, he was thereafter prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.

Soto’s case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Department. His prosecution was part of Idaho’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Idaho.