U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Honduran National Sentenced for Being and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –MELVIN DANIEL VARGAS-REYES, 21, was sentenced on January 10, 2024 for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, VARGAS-REYES admitted to possessing a Hi-Point, nine-millimeter pistol as an illegal alien. VARGAS-REYES was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to (24) twenty-four months in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Contact
Shane M. Jones
Public Information Officer
United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
United States Department of Justice
Updated January 11, 2024
Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Component