ILLEGAL ALIEN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING A FIREARM WHILE ENGAGED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Oscar Cruz-Baldo, 40, of Mexico, pled guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien unlawfully in the United States. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The aggressive prosecution and removal of violent illegal aliens is central to the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America. My office is committed to working with our dedicated law enforcement partners to fulfill that promise, and as a result, we are making our communities safer.”

Court documents reflect that Cruz-Baldo, a Mexican national, unlawfully entered the United States without inspection or authorization by an immigration officer. On February 12, 2025, he was involved in a domestic violence incident in Williston, Florida. According to the victim, Cruz-Baldo threatened to shoot her and her dog with a loaded shotgun. Levy County Deputies arrested Cruz-Baldo without further incident and located the loaded shotgun on the property.

Cruz-Baldo faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and deportation from the United States.  

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025, at 1:00 pm, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.