An illegal alien, Esteban Gonzalez-Melendez, was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms and Ammunition knowing that he was an undocumented non-citizen illegally and unlawfully in the United States.
Gonzalez-Melendez’s sentence is to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gonzalez-Melendez, age 26, of Mexico, was also was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to the Department of Justice, on September 9, 2022, Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Gonzalez-Melendez was a passenger. One of the officers saw the muzzle of a rifle on the passenger floorboard protruding from under a blanket covering Gonzalez-Melendez. A search of the vehicle revealed a semiautomatic American Tactical pistol with large capacity magazine capabilities, along with a 9mm pistol and .380 pistol where Gonzalez-Melendez was seated. The search further revealed a two-way radio, a 30-round AR-15 magazine, a 100-round AR-15 drum magazine, two .380 magazines, a 9mm magazine, 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 14 rounds of .380 ammunition, 92 rounds of 5.56×45 NATO ammunition, and a pair of handcuffs.
United States Border Patrol agents, who were called by DPS, determined that Gonzalez-Melendez was illegally present in the United States. A records check revealed that he had been previously deported on July 24, 2015, through Nogales, Arizona.
Gonzalez-Melendez stated he knew it was illegal for him to possess a firearm. He said he purchased the American Tactical firearm for $800 and the pistol for $300 approximately two weeks prior. He further stated the Ruger pistol was given to him by a friend to hold but could not remember the name of this individual.