Armed Career Criminal from Albuquerque Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Unlawful Possession of Firearm

ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony Barela, 56, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 15 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Barela was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

Barela was arrested in Nov. 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition on Nov. 9, 2013, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  According to the criminal complaint, officers of the Albuquerque Police Department apprehended Barela at a home in northwest Albuquerque when they responded to a call reporting a residential burglary.  When the officers arrived at the residence and encountered Barela, he indicated that he had a pistol in his pocket which he admitted taking from the residence.  At the time, Barela was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of armed bank robbery in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico and armed robbery with a deadly weapon in the 2nd Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico in Bernalillo County. 

Barela was indicted for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition on Dec. 4, 2013.  On Sept. 24, 2014, Barela admitted that he possessed a pistol and ammunition on Nov. 9, 2013, and that he was prohibited from doing so because he was a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Albuquerque Police Department with assistance from the 2^nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead prosecuted the case.