U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg | U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced that Matthew L. Stephen Easton, a federally licensed firearms dealer from Melrose, Florida, has pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking. Easton could face up to 15 years in federal prison with his sentencing set for January 24, 2025.
Easton's co-defendants, Derick Yamir Perez Diaz from Orlando and Ernesto Vasquez from Kissimmee, have also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. Both face the same maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Perez Diaz is scheduled for sentencing on March 25, while Vasquez will be sentenced on April 8, 2025.
According to plea agreements, Easton supplied large quantities of firearms to Perez Diaz despite knowing he was unlicensed. Perez Diaz then trafficked these firearms to Vasquez who resold them and smuggled them out of the country. The period between October and December 2023 saw more than 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles being trafficked.
Additionally, both Vasquez and Perez Diaz admitted involvement in trafficking machinegun conversion devices. On April 18, 2024, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s residence where they found multiple firearms along with stockpiles of ammunition and grenades.
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering trust within communities through strategic enforcement priorities.
