A Mexican national residing illegally in Nacogdoches has admitted guilt to federal immigration and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas. This was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Joel Bustamante Moreno, 25, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful reentry by a deported alien and unlawful possession of a machine gun. The plea was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on March 18, 2025.
Court documents revealed that on February 1, 2024, Moreno was apprehended after selling multiple firearms, including a 9mm pistol with a machine gun conversion device known as a Glock switch. These devices enable pistols to fire automatically with a single trigger pull, effectively turning them into machine guns. After the transaction, law enforcement attempted to detain Moreno as he fled the scene in his vehicle. He subsequently crashed the vehicle and escaped on foot to a nearby residence where he was captured. Moreno had been deported twice before, in 2019 and 2020, and lacked authorization to be in the United States.
Moreno was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 20, 2024. He could face up to ten years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum sentence is provided for informational purposes; actual sentencing will consider advisory guidelines and statutory factors determined by the court. A sentencing hearing will follow after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative uniting all levels of law enforcement with communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence while enhancing neighborhood safety. PSN focuses on fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Nacogdoches Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter is prosecuting the case.
