A Honduran national, Gustavo Benitez Rodriguez, has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by an alien and illegal reentry after removal. The plea was entered on September 8 in Miami.
According to information presented at the change of plea hearing, law enforcement officers began monitoring Benitez Rodriguez’s social media account on February 25 after seeing a post advertising a firearm for sale. Benitez Rodriguez, who is 22 years old and does not have lawful status in the United States, arranged the sale online with someone he believed was a buyer. Records also show that he has connections to the Little Havana Taliban gang.
On February 28, officers executed a search warrant at his residence. They found two firearms in his bedroom: a Stoeger STR 9mm in his dresser drawer next to his passport and identification, and a Ruger ICS 9mm under his mattress. Officers also recovered a magazine and 15 rounds of live Luger 9mm ammunition.
Benitez Rodriguez had previously been removed from the United States on February 15, 2019, following a final order of removal. He later re-entered the country without obtaining consent from either the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security.
A sentencing hearing is set for December 5 before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. Benitez Rodriguez could face up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine as high as $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Prosecutions Unit in Miami announced the plea.
The case was investigated by ICE-ERO Miami with help from the City of Miami Police Department and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Roca Shaw is prosecuting.
Further information about this case can be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl as well as related court documents at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20244.
