Leonel Castillo, a 34-year-old resident of Denver, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a federal license. This decision follows his guilty plea to one count related to the unlawful activity.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado reported that between September 2022 and May 2023, Castillo operated a business through Facebook. He organized raffles where participants paid for chances to win firearms. The firearms were sourced from federal firearms licensees or private sellers and then transferred to winners via federal licenses, sometimes involving straw transfers. Throughout this period, Castillo was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status as a felon.
United States Attorney Matt Kirsch emphasized the seriousness of using social media platforms for illegal firearm dealings: “Criminals who deal firearms illegally can’t escape consequences by using social media as their marketplace.” He also commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) for investigating this unusual scheme and highlighted the successful prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman.
Judge Nina Y Wang presided over the sentencing in the United States District Court. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering community trust, supporting preventive community-based organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes. The Department strengthened its violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021.
Case Number: 23-cr-00326-NYW
