Las Cruces Felon Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm and Ammunition

ALBUQUERQUE – Jesus Manuel Aguilar Jr., 55, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Aguilar and co-defendant Thomas Julian Aguilera, 28, also of Las Cruces, were charged in a four-count indictment filed on Nov. 12, 2014.  Aguilera was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm on May 11, 2012, June 14, 2012, and July 11, 2012, and Aguilar was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm on July 11, 2012.  According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Dona Ana County, N.M.  At the time, Aguilera was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and Aguilar was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of distribution and possession of a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

On Feb. 15, 2017, Aguilar pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and admitted that on July 11, 2012, he sold a firearm to an undercover law enforcement agent.  Aguilar acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on July 11, 2012, because of his status as a convicted felon.

Aguilera pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on April 16, 2015, and was sentenced on Sept. 24, 2015.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.