Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Possession of Machinegun, Additional Firearm, and Ammunition

Friday, March 22, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
shane.jones@usdoj.gov

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on March 19, 2024, JUNIOR ALEXANDER MONCADA-VARGAS, age 34, of Honduras, pleaded guilty to a four-count federal indictment. Count One charged MONCADA-VARGAS with possession and transfer of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2), and Counts Two through Four charged him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(5)(A) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, on or about July 21, 2023, August 2, 2023 and September 18, 2023, respectively, MONCADA-VARGAS, sold to undercover agents, a Glock Model 22 Gen 5, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, with a Glock auto-sear, and approximately twenty-two (22) rounds of ammunition, a Kalashnikov USA Model KR103, 7.62 x 39 milli-meter semi-automatic rifle and approximately thirty (30) rounds of ammunition, and a Norinco Model SKS, 7.62 x 39 milli-meter semi-automatic rifle, and approximately thirty (30) rounds of ammunition. On September 18, 2023, MONCADA-VARGAS was arrested by federal agents. Following his arrest, he admitted that he was an illegal alien and unlawfully in the United States.

At sentencing, MONCADA-VARGUS, faces up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for Count One, possession and transfer of a machinegun. He faces up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for each of the charges described in Counts Two through Four, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. MONCADA-VARGUS also faces a mandatory $100 special assessment fee per count.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (A.T.F.) and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/honduran-national-pleads-guilty-possession-machinegun-additional-firearm-and

(One can only wonder how a simply countryman from Honduras came to own a machine gun!)