Prior Felon Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of Firearm and Ammunition

ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony Chavez, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and Thomas G. Atteberry, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Chavez was indicted in Aug. 2011, and was charged with unlawfully possessing a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition in Bernalillo County, N.M., on April 14, 2011. At the time, Chavez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of (1) intentional child abuse and larceny, and (2) cocaine trafficking, in the Second Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico.

Chavez was arrested on Sept. 21, 2011, and has been in federal custody since that time. On April 11, 2012, Chavez pled guilty to the indictment. As part of his plea agreement, Chavez was required to forfeit the firearm and ammunition that were in his possession on April 14, 2011.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis E. Valencia.