Illegal alien’s “sole” mistake during armed robbery lands him nearly 13-year prison sentence

HOUSTON – A 21-year-old Honduran man illegally residing in Houston has been sentenced for his role in the armed robbery of a local Family Dollar store, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Carlos Gonzalez-Vargas pleaded guilty Feb. 7 to discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has now ordered Gonzalez-Vargas to serve 150 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard he was affiliated with a gang, posted Instagram selfies with the firearm and fired the weapon at a 13-year-old child one month after the robbery. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that the mandatory minimum sentence does not adequately address the seriousness of his conduct.

On Jan. 16, 2023, Gonzalez-Vargas entered the discount store along with three others, brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the register. When the employee did not act fast enough, Gonzalez-Vargas shot her in the leg. They stole cash from the register and fled on foot. Surveillance captured Gonzalez-Vargas wearing a distinctive pair of sneakers. 

Approximately one month later, Gonzalez-Vargas fired the same weapon used in the robbery during a street fight with a 13-year-old minor. Law enforcement took him into custody, at which time he was wearing the same distinctive sneakers seen in the robbery footage. 

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballisticinformation-network-nibin.