A federal jury in Fort Pierce convicted Luis Matute Figueroa, a 33-year-old Honduran national illegally present in the United States, for his role in a firearms-trafficking operation that purchased firearms in South Florida through straw buyers and smuggled them to Honduras, according to an Aug. 3 announcement.
Matute Figueroa was found guilty of conspiracy and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said, “This defendant exploited his unlawful presence in the United States to help traffic American firearms to Honduras. This verdict reflects our commitment to dismantling international gun-trafficking networks and prosecuting illegal aliens who unlawfully possess and export firearms.”
Court records and evidence presented at trial showed that Matute Figueroa conspired with Gerson Eliu Padilla-Figueroa, Juan Matute Figueroa, Ariel Henriquez-Padilla, and William Mendoza to acquire firearms using straw purchases before exporting them illegally to Honduras. Investigators recovered WhatsApp messages revealing that Matute Figueroa provided co-conspirators with firearm inventories, pricing information, shipping instructions for weapons bound for Honduras, as well as photographs and video of himself holding a distinctive gold Colt 1911 pistol.
Matute Figueroa overstayed a tourist visa in 2017 and remained without lawful status while organizing the trafficking component of the conspiracy. As an illegal alien, he was prohibited from possessing any firearms.
He faces up to five years in federal prison on the conspiracy count and up to fifteen years on the firearm possession count; sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Miami Field Division; Homeland Security Investigations Miami; Broward Sheriff’s Office; Martin County Sheriff’s Office; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Huyler is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida oversees an area spanning about 15,197 square miles across nine counties serving more than seven million residents with branch offices located in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce and Key West; it operates under the Department of Justice with approximately 223 assistant attorneys among its staff members, according to its official website.