Fernando Munguia, Jr., a 24-year-old resident of Leesburg, Florida, has pleaded guilty to nine counts of making materially false statements in connection with the purchase of firearms and nine counts of causing a federal firearm licensee to maintain false information in its records. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Munguia faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of making a false statement and up to five years for each count related to causing false information to be maintained. As part of his plea agreement, Munguia has agreed to forfeit the nine firearms involved in these offenses.
Court records show that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Munguia purchased multiple firearms on behalf of someone else while falsely claiming on background paperwork that he was the actual buyer. On May 27, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted nine of these firearms—along with other guns—at Eagle Pass, Texas as another individual attempted to transport them across the border into Mexico. The interception occurred less than a month after Munguia had bought them.
A records check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that Munguia purchased a total of 44 firearms between January and November 2023 for $23,334.25, an amount representing about two-thirds of his reported annual income. His purchases often included multiple identical firearms of the same model and caliber.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson is prosecuting the case.
According to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe: “This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.” Kehoe added: “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
