POCATELLO – Rodrigo Figueroa-Estrada, 34, a Mexican national residing in Dubois, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Pocatello to being an alien in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, on April 7, 2011, a deputy with the Clark County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a man with a gun at a residence north of Idaho Falls. The deputy observed a gray Chevrolet pickup truck traveling from the area of the house. After attempting to evade law enforcement, the vehicle was eventually stopped and the driver was identified as the defendant. A search of the chase area located a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol and .22 caliber ammunition; .22 caliber ammunition was also found inside the truck. The owner of the residence identified the defendant as the person who had fired several shots while at the residence. Deputies found a bullet hole in a truck parked in front of the residence and a .22 caliber casing nearby. Figueroa-Estrada admitted to being an illegal alien in the United States without documentation and to possessing and firing the firearm.

The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years supervised release.

Sentencing is set for April 9, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Clark County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).