Albuquerque Felon Gets 51-Month Prison Term for Firearm Offense

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison after he illegally possessed a firearm during a 2020 vehicle breaking and entering in Santa Fe.

According to court records, on June 29, 2020, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported vehicle breaking and entering at a residence in Santa Fe and found Michael Matthew Martinez, 31, asleep in the backseat of the car. When deputies instructed Martinez to exit the vehicle, he reached toward his jacket pocket, where deputies observed what appeared to be a firearm. Martinez was immediately removed from the vehicle, restrained, and searched, and deputies recovered the firearm from his pocket.

The vehicle owner told deputies he had interacted with Martinez earlier in the afternoon and later noticed his car keys were missing and became suspicious. After spotting Martinez inside the vehicle later that night, the owner contacted law enforcement.

Martinez pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to his plea agreement, Martinez admitted that he had previously been convicted of residential burglary, and he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Upon his release, Martinez will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Elena Stiteler is prosecuting the case.