Licensed firearms dealer arrested for selling gun to five-time felon

LAREDO, Texas – The owner of Rick’s Armory LLC has been taken into custody for allegedly selling a firearm to a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Ricardo Estevis Jr., 31, Laredo, is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga April 11 at 9:30 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint unsealed upon his arrest, Estevis had applied for a federal position. As part of the employment process, the investigation allegedly revealed he had sold a Sig P365 handgun to someone be knew to be a felon. The charges also indicate Estevis further attempted to circumvent the appropriate procedures by conducting the purchase as a private sale.

The complaint alleges the buyer had five felony convictions and has been prohibited per federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition since 2004.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Laredo Police Department and other federal, state and local agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.

This case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.