A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has indicted Gerardo Lopez-Gutierrez, a Mexican national residing illegally in the United States, on charges related to firearms and immigration violations. The 44-year-old from Salt Lake County was initially charged by complaint on March 6, 2025.
Court documents reveal that on March 4, 2025, law enforcement approached Lopez-Gutierrez for unlawful camping. During this encounter, he was found with a Ruger AR-556 rifle, which had been reported stolen from Moab, Utah. Due to a prior conviction for re-entry of a previously removed alien in the District of Arizona, Lopez-Gutierrez is prohibited from possessing firearms. Consequently, he was taken into custody.
Lopez-Gutierrez faces charges including felon in possession of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm, and illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien. His initial court appearance is set for March 14, 2025 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah. The investigation is being conducted by an FBI Task Force Officer with assistance from the Salt Lake City Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Victoria K. McFarland is handling the prosecution for this case.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime. This operation consolidates efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
It should be noted that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
