Nampa Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

BOISE – A Nampa man pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on May 30, 2021, law enforcement and emergency medical services responded to a single vehicle crash in Nampa. Carlos Ballesteros, 28, of Nampa, was a passenger in the crashed vehicle. A Canyon County paramedic providing medical assistance on scene located a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol in Ballesteros’ waistband. At the time of the crash, Ballesteros had previously been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho in 2020 and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms. At the time he possessed the firearm, Ballesteros was still on supervised release for his 2020 conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Ballesteros is scheduled to be sentenced on February 15, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine Ballesteros’ sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, which led to charges. The Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Nampa Police Department; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Boise Police Department; Caldwell Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; Meridian Police Department; and Idaho Department of Correction. “The contributions of these agencies to this multi-jurisdictional task for help make Idaho one of the safest states in the country. I heartily thank them for their spirit of collaborative public service,” said Gonzalez.

This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.

###