Aug. 31, 2010

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT: ASSAULT RIFLE AND $14,000 IN CASH FOUND IN CAR DRIVEN BY MEXICAN NATIONALS

WICHITA, KAN. – Two Mexican citizens have been charged with firearms violations, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Ernesto Hernandez-Lizardi, 30, and Raul Manzanarez-Rivera, 29, both of Mexico, are charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court alleges a Kansas Highway Patrol officer pulled the two men over for speeding Aug. 16, 2010, on I-70 in Ellis County. The men gave permission for troopers to search the 2003 Chevrolet pickup they were driving. Investigators found $14,400 in cash in a console between the seats. A subsequent search turned up a 7.62 x .39 caliber SKS semi-automatic assault rifle and two loaded handguns.

Both men are detained in U.S. Marshals Service custody pending trial.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000, as well as deportation after they are released. The Kansas Highway Patrol and Department of Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting. As in any criminal case, a person charged with a crime if presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.