Mexican National Charged with Firearm Crimes

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Mexican national, in the United State illegally, with firearm and immigration crimes.

Gerardo Lopez-Gutierrez, 44, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on March 6, 2025.

According to court documents, on March 4, 2025, Lopez-Gutierrez was approached by law enforcement for unlawful camping. During the interaction, Lopez-Gutierrez was in possession of a Ruger AR-556 rifle and a records check showed the firearm was reported stolen out of Moab, Utah.  Lopez-Gutierrez is restricted from possessing a firearm after he was convicted of re-entry of a previously removed alien in the District of Arizona. As a result, Lopez-Gutierrez was taken into custody.

Lopez-Gutierrez is charged with felon in possession of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm, and illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for March 14, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Assistant United States Attorney Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.