Fernando Munguia, Jr., 24, of Leesburg, was sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to four years in federal prison for making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a federal firearm licensee to maintain false information in its official records, according to an announcement on June 2 by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Court records show that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Munguia illegally straw-purchased multiple firearms. For these purchases, he indicated on mandatory background paperwork that he was the actual transferee or buyer of the firearms. However, those statements were false because Munguia had been paid to purchase the firearms on behalf of someone else.
Nine of the firearms purchased by Munguia—along with other weapons—were intercepted by United States Customs and Border Protection on May 27, 2023. The interception occurred when another individual attempted to transport them from Eagle Pass, Texas, across the border into Mexico. Authorities seized these firearms less than a month after they had been purchased.
A subsequent check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that between January and November 2023, Munguia had purchased forty-four firearms totaling $23,334.25—an amount representing about two-thirds of his reported annual income. The records also showed that his purchases often involved multiple identical firearms of the same model and caliber.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and United States Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson prosecuted the case.
According to officials involved in Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative designed to combat illegal immigration as well as cartels and transnational criminal organizations—the case is part of broader efforts aimed at protecting communities from violent crime.