Luis Garcia, 25, of Goshen, Indiana, was sentenced on July 9 to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty imposed the sentence following Garcia’s guilty plea.
United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred said, “The Defendant will serve over five years in prison after he flashed a machine gun at another person inside a bar. Security removed him from the premises and took away his gun, which had a 30-round extended magazine loaded with 24 rounds plus a round chambered. It also had a Glock switch attached, which allowed the gun to fire in rapid succession, in fully automatic. Garcia escaped the grip of the guards and ran away before police arrived. Sometime later, police pulled over a car where Garcia was a passenger and found him in possession of yet another firearm and cocaine. Garcia had a felony conviction for unlawful carrying of a handgun, and he was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. Thanks to the combined efforts of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Goshen Police Department and the support of the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office led by Vicki Becker, the Defendant was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Joel Gabrielse. Our community is safer with him off the streets.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from Goshen Police Department and Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Joel Gabrielse.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices across all federal districts including this one in Indiana’s Northern District, brings together federal law enforcement partners to address violent crime through strategies such as rapid response to offenders; strong partnerships among agencies; accountability; deterrence; prosecution; as well as other complementary efforts under Operation Take Back America.
This prosecution is part of Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established under Executive Order 14159: Protecting The American People Against Invasion—a partnership involving agencies such as FBI, HSI (Homeland Security Investigations), DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), IRS Criminal Investigation Division along with state law enforcement—aimed at eliminating criminal cartels operating within U.S. borders.