A Mexican national living illegally in Nacogdoches, Texas, has been indicted on a federal firearms charge, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas.
Antonio Hernandez-Perez, 47, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week. The indictment charges him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. The alleged offense occurred on January 30, 2025.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration and targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The operation coordinates efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If found guilty, Hernandez-Perez could face up to 15 years in federal prison as well as deportation.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Carter is prosecuting.
“A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” the announcement stated.
