Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Charge

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – David Ferrusquia-Sanchez, 36, a Mexican national who was in the United States illegally, pleaded guilty today to a federal gun charge.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 22, 2021, law enforcement officers pulled over a vehicle on I-64 in Putnam County that lacked registration and was following a tractor trailer too closely. The driver, identified as Ferrusquia-Sanchez, provided a passport and a driver’s license, both of Mexican origin. Officers also learned that Ferrusquia-Sanchez had an active warrant for driving under revocation. A K9 unit arrived on scene and alerted to the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle yielded a loaded 9mm Sportarms pistol in a duffel bag behind the driver’s seat. Ferrusquia-Sanchez admitted that he had not been given any legal status in the United States.

Ferrusquia-Sanchez pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on February 7, 2022.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Hurricane Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe is handling the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00061.

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