Three Men Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Five Firearms Including a "Ghost Gun" at a Phoenix Residence

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Victor Alfonso Apodaca Aguilar, 22, of Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Aguilar’s co-defendants, Jose Bernardo Vega-Ruiz, 27, and Hector Alvarado-Aboyte, 29, were each sentenced on November 20, 2023, to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. All three men, undocumented non-citizens from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm.

On March 9, 2023, the three men were living at a house in Phoenix where a federal search warrant was executed. Five firearms, including a “ghost gun,” were located at the residence.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa E. Jennis, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-510-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-201_Aguilar

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