Illegal Alien Indicted For Unlawful Gun Possession

POCATELLO - Rigoberto Torres-Perez, 30, of Dubois, Idaho, and a Mexican national, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Pocatello for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

The indictment alleges that on November 4, 2012, Torres-Perez, previously convicted of possession of dangerous drugs in 2006, and an alien illegally in the United States, unlawfully possessed a Hi-Point, 9 millimeter pistol with an obliterated serial number. The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted as part of Idaho’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Idaho.