Las Cruces Felon Sentenced to 63 Months for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition

ALBUQUERQUE – James S. Sedillo, 40, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 63 months in prison for violating the federal firearms laws by unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.  Sedillo will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Sedillo was arrested in Aug. 2016, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 24, 2015, in Dona Ana County, N.M.  According to the indictment, Sedillo was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of possession of a firearm or destructive device by a felon and possession of a controlled substance.

On March 3, 2017, Sedillo pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Oct. 24, 2015, he possessed a firearm and two rounds of ammunition despite being prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to his status as a convicted felon. 

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Las Cruces Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.