Federal Grand Jury Indicts Illegal Alien Who Was Arrested in Dallas With Numerous AK-47-Type Rifles in His Vehicle’s Trunk
DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Dallas returned an indictment this week that charges Jesus Gonzales, 24, with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Gonzales has been in custody since late October on charges outlined in a related federal criminal complaint.
According to documents filed in the case, when officers of the Dallas Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Gonzales’s vehicle on Wentworth Street in Dallas on October 25, 2012, they discovered that he did not have a valid driver’s license. They also discovered a number of AK-47-type rifles in the trunk of his vehicle. Fourteen of the 15 firearms in the trunk were shrink-wrapped in plastic.
An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. Upon conviction, however, the maximum penalty for the offense charged is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dallas Police Department are investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taly Haffar is in charge of the prosecution.
