A former Arizona Department of Corrections officer was sentenced to more than four years in prison following a guilty plea to firearms offenses.
Juan Carlos Rubio, 26, of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release. Charges against Rubio stemmed from a multiagency investigation by Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol.
"HSI is fully committed to stopping the flow of weapons illegally exported into Mexico," HSI-Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown said in the news release. "These weapons often contribute to fueling the violence committed by dangerous people, which drastically affects communities both in Mexico and in the United States. This sentence sends a strong message to weapons traffickers that HSI and our partnered law enforcement agencies will work aggressively to combat this egregious and dangerous criminal activity."
Rubio previously pleaded guilty to charges including four counts of conspiracy to smuggle goods from the U.S. and making false statements to acquire a firearm, the release reported.
Allegations against Rubio stem from an early 2020 investigation, when he was found to have colluded with smugglers to get three firearms and 500 AK-type rifle magazines across the border into Mexico from the U.S., according to the news release. Rubio is alleged to have lied to a licensed gun dealer, saying the purchase was for himself when he actually was buying it for someone else. Rubio also is alleged to have conspired with a third party to get another weapon from a licensed dealer. The third party allegedly lied to the gun dealer and said the purchase was for themselves when it was for Rubio.
