Federal Jury Finds Mexican National Guilty of Firearms Violations

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted a Mexican national for illegal possession of 11 firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Following a two-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud, Santos Gomez Perez, 65, was convicted of possession of firearms by an illegal alien.

As proven at trial, on March 14, 2019, during a search of an auto body shop, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department discovered a supply of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories inside a large metal cabinet. Law enforcement seized a total of 11 firearms. Perez, an employee at the shop, was identified as a suspect in a drug investigation and taken into custody. Perez admitted that he had been “taking care of the guns.” Because Perez is in the United States illegally, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm at any time.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst.