Austin Felon Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Possession

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin man was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to 144 months in federal prison for one count of felon in possession.

According to court documents, Steven Moreno Briseno, 38, was arrested by Austin Police when he surrendered during a barricaded standoff at his family’s residence on Nov. 30, 2023. Briseno had allegedly been under the influence of methamphetamine and got into an altercation with his wife, physically assaulting her and then fleeing on foot when officers arrived in response to a 911 call.

Briseno ran into a vacant apartment across the street then sprinted back to his residence, where he barricaded himself inside. Briseno’s aggressive behavior escalated as he refused the officers’ commands to exit the residence, made comments about arming himself, and threatened to start shooting if the officers did not back away from his residence. Officers observed Briseno fashioning a tripod through a window and mounting a long rifle on top. He was also seen smoking from a glass pipe that resembled a meth pipe while he loaded numerous rounds into rifles, handguns, and at least one shotgun. Additionally, officers watched Briseno exit the residence with a gun in his hand while wearing a camouflaged tactical vest.

When APD SWAT arrived on the scene, Briseno was instructed to exit the residence with his hands up and empty. Subsequently, he fired at least one round from one of his firearms from inside the residence to an unspecified location outside the residence. After several minutes of speaking via loudspeaker, Briseno surrendered to APD. Inside the residence, officers located numerous firearms, loaded magazines, and boxes of ammunition in plain view, including on top of the kitchen table and staged near the front door and multiple windows in the front of the house.

Briseno had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including burglary on Nov. 30, 2022. He pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm on Jan. 15, 2025.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Austin Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Sparks prosecuted the case.

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