A federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant have been issued for Manuel Antonio Xante-Ajanel, a 25-year-old Guatemalan citizen. He is charged with aggravated identity theft, making a false statement during a firearm transaction, and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, and Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police.
Court records indicate that on November 11, 2024, Xante-Ajanel attempted to buy a firearm from Academy Sports in Paducah using fraudulent identification. The transaction was halted when the ID was flagged as fraudulent. On January 31, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence in Mayfield, Kentucky, uncovering numerous fake identification documents. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a loaded 9-millimeter handgun. Xante-Ajanel admitted to possessing the firearm and being unlawfully present in the United States.
Homeland Security Investigations confirmed Xante-Ajanel's Guatemalan nationality and illegal entry into the U.S.
Currently held in state custody, Xante-Ajanel will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Kentucky at an undetermined date. If convicted on all charges, he faces between two and twelve years in prison; federal sentences do not include parole.
The investigation involves the ATF – Paducah Post of Duty, HSI – Paducah Post of Duty, and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus is prosecuting the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is only an allegation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
