Illegal Alien Charged With Felon In Possession Of A Firearm And Alien In Possession Of A Firearm

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Jose Toscano-Ruelas, 43, a foreign national, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and being a deported alien found in the United States, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, Toscano-Ruelas received fifteen drug trafficking-related convictions in Tulare County, California in July 2003. He was subsequently deported in December 2005 and never obtained permission to return to the United States. In May 2019, Toscano-Ruelas was found in Tulare County in possession of a semi-automatic pistol.  

This case was the product of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  Assistant United States Attorney Laura D. Withers is prosecuting the case. 

Toscano-Ruelas is currently in custody.

If convicted, Toscano-Ruelas faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.