Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 27 Months for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jesus Dalather Corona, 33, a citizen of Mexico found in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 27 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.  Corona pleaded guilty to this charge on June 5, 2023.

On December 19, 2022, a staff member at an employment facility in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin was helping an employee find his jacket and grabbed a jacket from a shelf above a common area coat rack and felt a handgun.  A temporary employee, later identified as Corona, immediately walked over to the staff member and said, “That’s my stuff.  Don’t touch it.”  Corona took the coat, folded it up, placed it back on the shelf, and walked away.

The staff member notified a security guard because the employment facility prohibited people from bringing firearms into the building.  The security guard searched the jacket and found a loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol inside one of the jacket’s pockets. 

The security guard called the Fort Atkinson Police Department.  Law enforcement officers responded and took custody of the firearm, as well as 14 rounds of 9 mm ball ammunition.  In addition, officers watched surveillance video that showed Corona wore the jacket when he entered the building, put the coat on the shelf, and confront the staff member when she grabbed Corona’s jacket. 

Officers then asked to speak with Corona, who ultimately admitted that he had a felony conviction and purchased the firearm from a friend.  Following the defendant’s admission, officers arrested Corona for illegally possessing the firearm. 

In sentencing Corona, Judge Conley noted that Corona posed a danger to the community when he reentered the United States after being previously deported and armed himself with a firearm. 

The charge against Corona was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fort Atkinson Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma prosecuted this case.