Fourteen Individuals Charged with Conspiracy Involving Straw Purchases of 18 Belt-Fed Firearms and .50 Caliber Rifles

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, announces a 20-count indictment against 14 individuals from Arizona, for Conspiracy to Submit a Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm and related charges. The indictment was unsealed today.

The indictment alleges that between July 15, 2023, and December 23, 2023, 13 individuals were paid to buy belt-fed rifles and Barrett .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles from licensed firearms dealers in and around Phoenix and Yuma for David Moreno Quevedo. As part of the conspiracy, these individuals lied on the Firearms Transaction Record, known as ATF Form 4473, claiming that they were purchasing the rifles for themselves. The charged conspirators include:

• David Moreno Quevedo, 26, of El Mirage;
• Mario Alberto Ayala, Jr., 23, of Maricopa;
• Randy Obed Valenzuela Chinchillas, 24, of Phoenix;
• Aidee Espinoza, 29, of Phoenix;
• Todd Robert Nuttall, 52, of Gilbert;
• Earl Marlow Burch, 49, of Mesa;
• Wyatt Michael Fernandez, 26, of Tempe;
• Jorge Luis Roman, 28, of Mesa;
• Dylan Morgan Burch, 21, of Eloy;
• Shawna Marie O’Shea, 56, of Tempe;
• Damaris Davila Moreno, 22, of Phoenix;
• Noelia Valenzuela Gomez, 25, of Chandler;
• Melissa Osorio Talamante, 31, of San Tan Valley; and
• Michael Andrew Wingate, 31, of Mesa.

A conviction for the crime of Conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for the crime of Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus W. Shand, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00432-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-048_Quevedo, et al

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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