Two Caldwell Men Admit to Unlawfully Possessing Firearms

BOISE – Gustavo Collado Rodriguez, 19, and David Angel Prieto, 22, both of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to unlawfully possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.   

According to information presented in court, police officers responded to a residence in Caldwell, Idaho, after a person called 911 for help.  The person told officers that two men came to the residence and one of the men pointed a handgun at an occupant of the home.  Police officers followed footprints in the snow to a nearby shed.  Inside the shed, officers found Rodriguez and Prieto along with a sawed-off 12 gauge shotgun and a 9 millimeter pistol with a high capacity magazine loaded with hollow point ammunition.  Rodriguez is prohibited from possessing firearms because he is an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.  Prieto is prohibited from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of the felony crime of possession of a controlled substance.  As part of the plea agreements, Rodriguez and Prieto agreed to forfeit the firearms involved in the offense. 

The charge of unlawfully possessing firearms is punishable by up 10 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000.   Rodriguez and Prieto are scheduled for sentencing on November 4, 2015 by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Caldwell Police Department and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force.  The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.

The case is being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, 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 treasurevalleypartners.org.