Gulfport, Miss. - A Florida man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Acting Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to court documents, on May 14, 2021, Martin Gerardo Perusquia, 55, of Hollywood, Florida, was driving on I-10 in Jackson County when he was pulled over for a traffic violation by an agent with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team who was also a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy. During the traffic stop, the agent found that Perusquia was in possession of a Smith and Wesson.357 Magnum revolver with ammunition. A search of his criminal history revealed that Perusquia had previous convictions for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and bank robbery. An ATF expert examined the firearm which was determined to have been manufactured outside of Mississippi, and had traveled in interstate commerce. The firearm is being forfeited to the federal government.
Perusquia is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A higher maximum penalty can apply if he is determined to be an Armed Career Criminal, in which case, the penalty would be enhanced to not less than 15 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Jackson County Metro Enforcement Task Force, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe
Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime
reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent
crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
