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Press Release

Illegal alien from Honduras sentenced for possessing pistol after West Monroe arrest

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana

MONROE, La. United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that an illegal alien from Honduras was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for illegally possessing a pistol in West Monroe.

Medardo Zuniga, 36, of Honduras, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty on one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. According to the June 13, 2018 guilty plea, a West Monroe police officer conducted a traffic stop on a truck Zuniga was a passenger in on September 15, 2017. Three individuals were in the vehicle including Zuniga. After a search of the vehicle, an empty pistol magazine was found on Zuniga, and a Taurus 9 mm-caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number was found on the floorboard where he had been sitting. After his arrest, he admitted to being in the United States illegally and to possessing the pistol. The defendant was arrested in 2007 for driving unlawfully and had been previously deported on November 14, 2007. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The ATF and West Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.

Updated October 3, 2018

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Immigration
Project Safe Neighborhoods