Phoenix Field Division

The Phoenix city skyline Photo used under Creative Commons from Wikimedia user MS

Welcome to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Phoenix Field Division. Our Division is responsible for ATF criminal enforcement and industry regulatory activities in the States of Arizona and New Mexico. Our dedicated work force is comprised of special agents, investigators, explosive enforcement officers, auditors, technicians and support staff.

ATF is committed to reducing violent crime in our neighborhoods. ATF’s Phoenix Field Division special agents combat firearms violence by focusing their investigative efforts on armed violent offenders, career criminals, gun traffickers and gangs. We also work in partnership with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona and New Mexico to accomplish this mission.

Explosives and arson enforcement is an integral part of ATF’s overall violent crime reduction strategy. ATF’s Phoenix Field Division special agents combat arson and explosives-related crimes by conducting independent investigations and by working in partnership with local and state fire investigators and police bomb squads.

ATF also has the duty of regulating the firearms and explosives industries. Our industry operations investigators work to ensure that all firearms and explosives are stored, handled and sold in a safe manner as mandated by federal law.

We encourage all residents to get involved and assist us in our goal of reducing crime in our communities. Give us a call and let us know what we can do for you. Our phone number is (602) 776-5400.

Division Management Team

Thomas G. Atteberry: Special Agent In Charge (SAC)
Vacant: Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
Carlos A. Canino: Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
Mark K Williams: Director of Industry Operations (DIO)
Thomas G. Mangan: Public Information Officer (PIO)

Division Contact Information

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Phoenix Field Division

201 E. Washington Street, Suite 940

Phoenix,
Arizona
85004
USA

Voice (602) 776-5400

Fax (602) 776-5429

PhoenixDiv@atf.gov

Receive Phoenix Press Release Updates

January 12, 2012

ALBUQUERQUE — This afternoon, a U.S. District Judge sentenced, Roman Kirby, 37, of Albuquerque, to a 188–month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.More »

December 14, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, earlier today, Jose Tito Humberto Melgar–Cabrera, 34, a citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for being an accessory after the fact. Specifically, Jose Melgar–Cabrera pled guilty to assisting his brother avoid apprehension following the June 20, 2009 armed robbery of an Albuquerque–area Denny’s Restaurant and murder of a restaurant employee. Jose Melgar–Cabrera will be deported after he completes his prison sentence.More »

December 13, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – Elisha William Pollock, 29, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 51 months imprisonment for aiding and abetting the making of a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Pollock was found guilty by a jury following trial on May 12, 2011.More »

December 8, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – Juan Carlos Delgado-Sagaste, 30, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge David C. Bury to 15 years imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to unlawfully export firearms, following a plea of guilty on September 6, 2011.More »

November 30, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. District Court Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson sentenced Alex Pedrin, 26, to 210 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on Monday.More »

November 30, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — This morning, Curtis Ray Williams, 46, of Farmington, N.M., was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his convictions on methamphetamine trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Williams will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence.More »

November 29, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — Earlier today, Phillip Simmons, 61, a retired Albuquerque optometrist, pled guilty to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Simmons will be sentenced to a minimum three–year term of probation, during which he must participate and successfully complete a substance abuse program approved by the U.S. Probation Office. Simmons also will forfeit 39 firearms and ammunition seized from his residence when he was arrested on July 13, 2011.More »

November 28, 2011

Albuquerque — Today in federal court, Philip Talachy, 21, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced to 54 months in prison for his carjacking conviction. Talachy will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence. The court also ordered Talachy to pay $1107.00 in restitution to the victim of the carjacking.More »

November 28, 2011

PHOENIX — Elie Malkoun, 53, of Victoria, Australia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton to 24 months in the Bureau of Prisons plus three years of supervised release. The defendant pleaded guilty on July 19, 2011, to one count of Alien Illegally or Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(A).More »

November 28, 2011

PHOENIX — On November 22, 2011, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a four count indictment against Luis Enrique Lizarraga–Ayala, 23, Octavio Rivera–Mendez, 36, and Juan Carlos Casas–Pacheco, 22, for violations of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, Aid and Abet in the Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, and Aliens Unlawfully in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition.More »

November 10, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. — Deon McElrathbey, 25, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to ten years imprisonment for interference with commerce by threats or violence, following a plea of guilty on July 19, 2011.More »

November 10, 2011

LAS CRUCES — Yesterday in Las Cruces federal court, Joshua Jimenez, 23, of Bayard, N.M., pled guilty to an information charging him with willfully making a bomb threat. At sentencing, Jimenez faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, three years of supervised release. and a $250,000 fine. Jimenez has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 24, 2011, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been set.More »

November 3, 2011

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Keith Wayne Hill, 52, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen from the Eastern District of Michigan to 54 months followed by three years supervised release. Hill pleaded guilty June 1, 2011 to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and is currently in custody.More »

November 2, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — This afternoon, Fernando Julian Baeza, 27, of Albuquerque, was sentenced to 100 months imprisonment for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales. Baeza will be on supervised release for two years after he completes his prison sentence.More »

October 17, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning, Vernon Lee Baker, 54, was sentenced to a 235-month term of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales. Baker will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence. Baker, an Albuquerque resident, has been in federal custody since his arrest on February 24, 2009.More »

September 21, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – Norman Garcia, 25, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Frank R. Zapata to 11 years imprisonment. The defendant and his brother, Pancho Garcia, 28, were found guilty by a federal jury on March 21, 2011, of two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Pancho Garcia, 28, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on July 27, 2011.More »

September 19, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – Nine defendants were sentenced to prison for charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine or possession with intent to distribute cocaine. This was a result of a five-month investigation led by the Tohono O’Odham Police Department’s Anti-Violence Unit (AVU) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) narcotics unit. The investigation focused on a network of tribal members involved in the cocaine trade centered in Sells, Arizona.More »

September 2, 2011

WASHINGTON – Five alleged members of the violent gang known as the East Side Los Guada Bloods (East Side Bloods) have been charged in an indictment returned yesterday in Phoenix with various racketeering and attempted murder charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Ann B. Scheel for the District of Arizona; Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Phoenix Division, Thomas E. Brandon; Chief Karl Auerbach, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; Chief Frank Milstead, Mesa Police Department; and Director Robert Halliday of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.More »

August 31, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Santa Fe, Charles Richard Lucero, 42, of Las Vegas, New Mexico, was sentenced to a 70-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Lucero has been in federal custody since his arrest on federal charges on July 6, 2010.More »

August 31, 2011

PHOENIX – Eric Mendoza-Ochoa, 36; Delfino Acuna-Lozada, 30; Gaston Delgado-Luque, 20; Cristian Barron-Gonzalez, 19; Rodolfo Leon-Varela, 20; and Fernando Aispuro-Serrano, 23; were sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee for charges related to their role as a rip crew in a drug conspiracy. Judge McNamee sentenced Mendoza to eight years, four months prison; Acuna to six years prison; Delgado to five years, four months prison; Barron to six years, four months prison; Leon to five years prison; and Aispuro to six years, four months prison.More »

August 30, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Joseph Earl Carroll, 33, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to a 77-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Carroll has been in federal custody since his arrest on federal charges on November 5, 2010.More »

August 29, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Michael Maestas, 28, of Bloomfield, New Mexico, was sentenced to an 84-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Maestas has been in federal custody since his arrest on November 5, 2010.More »

August 25, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 40-year-old Angelo Vega, former Chief of Police for the Village of Columbus, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to a federal charges in connection with a firearms trafficking investigation.More »

August 25, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – Today in federal court in Albuquerque, Blake Brown, 27, of Albuquerque, was sentenced to a ten year prison term for his conviction on federal methamphetamine trafficking and firearms charges. Brown will be on supervised release for four years following his release from prison. Brown has been in federal custody since his arrest on December 7, 2010.More »

August 11, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, yesterday afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Guillermo Medel, also known as Moreno, a 29–year–old Albuquerque resident, was sentenced to a 100–month term of imprisonment to be followed by a three–year term of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms.More »

August 1, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 30-year-old Blas Gutierrez of Columbus, NM, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a firearms trafficking investigation.More »

July 28, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 9-count indictment on Wednesday against Michael James Gesty, 46, of Tucson, for violations of making machineguns, making false statements on an application for a federal firearms license, making false statements during purchase of firearms, failure to keep records of firearm sales, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a drug user. Gesty was arrested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives today on a warrant issued as a result of the indictment, and is currently detained pending an initial appearance scheduled tomorrow.More »

July 22, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that six more defendants have pleaded guilty this week to federal charges in connection with the Columbus, New Mexico firearms trafficking investigation.More »

July 18, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 25-year-old Ricardo Gutierrez of Columbus, NM, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a firearms trafficking investigation.More »

July 15, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 40–year–old Alberto Rivera of Columbus, NM, and 22–year–old Eva Gutierrez of Las Cruces, NM, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a firearms trafficking investigation.More »

July 13, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — On July 12, 2011 in federal court in Albuquerque, Joe Louis Larribas, 36, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on federal firearms and crack cocaine trafficking charges. Larribas was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on the firearms offense and an additional five years’ imprisonment on the narcotics offense. The sentence is to be served concurrently to Larribas remaining sentence imposed in the Second Judicial District Court Case No. 2009-2382. Larribas has been in federal custody since his arrest on September 17, 2010.More »

July 13, 2011

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that 51-year-old Eddie Espinoza, former mayor of Columbus, NM, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a firearms trafficking investigation.More »

June 29, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. – Darral Wayne Brumley, also known as Darrel Storm, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to 110 months in prison for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearms and Ammunition. Brumley, 45, of Marana, pleaded guilty on March 24, 2011.More »

June 27, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. — Adalberto Sonoqui, 29, of Tucson, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Manuel Urrea, 38, also of Tucson, has been sentenced 12.5 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. U.S. District Court Judge Raner C. Collins handed down the sentences on Friday.More »

June 27, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, today in federal court in Albuquerque, Charles Antonio Gutierrez, a 33–year–old Albuquerque resident, was sentenced to 180–months in prison to be followed by a three–year term of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms.More »

June 20, 2011

PHOENIX – John Saliba Shahin, 25, of Tempe, was found guilty on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms and aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the acquisition of firearms, by a federal jury in Phoenix, Arizona. In an earlier, related trial on Thursday, June 2, 2011, Jessie Lee Harris, 22, of Tempe, was found guilty of making a false statement in the acquisition of firearms and of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms, by a federal jury in Phoenix, Arizona. The cases were both tried before United States District Court Judge Neil V. Wake.More »

June 17, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – On June 17, 2011 in federal court in Santa Fe, Leonardo Valentino Gonzales, a 35-year-old resident of Dulce, New Mexico, was sentenced to 84-months’ imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Gonzales has been in federal custody since his arrest on April 28, 2010. More »

June 14, 2011

LAS CRUCES – Today in federal court in Las Cruces, Daniel Molina, 47, a resident of Silver City, New Mexico, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Molina will serve a three-year term of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. Molina has been in federal custody since June 11, 2010.More »

May 20, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – Today a federal jury sitting in Albuquerque convicted Arthur Harris, 46, of being a felon in possession of a firearm after a three-day trial. At sentencing, as an armed career offender, Harris faces a mandatory minimum fifteen-year term of imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment. Harris, a resident of Roswell, New Mexico, has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 13, 2010, and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.More »

May 19, 2011

PHOENIX — A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned a 25–count Superseding Indictment against Jose Sauceda–Cuevas, 31, of Sinaloa, Mexico, on a variety of gun trafficking charges. The indictment alleges two separate Conspiracies to Make a False Statement in Connection with the Acquisition of Firearms, eight substantive counts of False Statements, five counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, five counts of Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm and five counts Felon in Possession of a Firearm.More »

May 17, 2011

TUCSON – Juan Manuel Meraz, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced today to 180 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, by U.S. District Court Judge Raner C. Collins.More »

May 12, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – Today in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mario Montoya, a 24-year-old Albuquerque resident, was sentenced to a 60-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three-years of supervised release based on his conviction for being in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.More »

May 6, 2011

LAS CRUCES — On May 5, 2011, in federal court in Las Cruces, Eric Contreras, a 27–year–old resident of Roswell, New Mexico, was sentenced to 37–months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Contreras will serve a three–year term of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. Contreras has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 12, 2010.More »

May 5, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE — United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, today in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Robert Colborn, a 23–year–old Albuquerque resident, was sentenced to 27–months in prison to be followed by a two–year term of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.More »

May 2, 2011

PHOENIX — Two Mexican nationals have pleaded guilty and a third has been found guilty by a jury in recent days for their roles in a conspiracy to trade drugs and cash for military–grade weapons — including a Stinger anti–aircraft missile – for use by Sinaloan drug cartels. The defendants were arrested in late 2009 as part of a multi–agency joint undercover operation known as Operation White Gun.More »

April 22, 2011

PHOENIX — A federal grand jury in Phoenix has returned a four–count indictment against Michael Ray Kapp, 43, for selling methamphetamine and heroin out of his Glendale home, and for firearms violations. Kapp, who has a string of prior felony convictions, faces charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Felon in Possession of Firearms.More »

April 21, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, a jury convicted Vernon Lee Baker, a 53-year-old Albuquerque resident, of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition after a three-day trial. United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that, if the court determines that Baker is an armed career offender based on his prior criminal history, Baker faces a mandatory minimum fifteen-year term of imprisonment and a maximum of life-time of imprisonment at sentencing. Baker has been in federal custody since his arrest on February 24, 2009 and remains detained pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.More »

April 19, 2011

TUCSON — U.S. District Court Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. on Monday sentenced Jack Martin Vose of Tucson, to 15 years imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Vose, 57, was convicted by a jury of his offenses on December 14, 2010 following a trial.More »

April 13, 2011

April 12, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, Pedro Portillo, a 27-year-old citizen of Mexico, and Fernando Orozco, a 23-year-old resident of Albuquerque, entered guilty pleas to narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses under plea agreements with the United States Attorney’s Office during separate hearings in the same case. Under the terms of their respective plea agreements, each man will receive a 120-month term of imprisonment. Portillo will be subject to removal proceedings when he completes his prison sentence. The two men have been in federal custody since they were arrested on September 15, 2010, and will remain detained pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled. More »

April 8, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Charles Antonio Gutierrez, a 33-year-old Albuquerque resident, entered a guilty plea to being a career criminal in possession of firearms under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Gutierrez will receive a fifteen-year term of imprisonment when he is sentenced. Gutierrez has been in federal custody since June 30, 2010 and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. More »

March 29, 2011

PHOENIX — The United States Attorney’s Office District of Arizona announced today that 49 defendants will be facing federal firearms and drug trafficking offenses as part of a nine–month undercover operation at a west–Valley secondhand shop. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is expected to charge an additional 54 defendants on related state drug and firearms charges as part of the same investigation, dubbed Operation 602 Exchange. More »

February 17, 2011

PHOENIX — A federal grand jury has unsealed multi-count indictments against 17 defendants in five separate cases of illegally trafficking firearms from the United States to Mexico, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona Dennis Burke announced today. More »

January 31, 2011

DALLAS — Super Bowl brings together the best teams in football, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has brought its best K-9 teams to North Texas. Morrison and Michael are based at University of Arizona Police Department and will conduct security sweeps at this year’s Super Bowl to locate any type of explosive, firearm or ammunition that may be in close proximity to the stadium or other venue relating to the big game.More »

January 31, 2011

DALLAS — Super Bowl brings together the best teams in football, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has brought its best K-9 teams to North Texas. Dunwoody and Disney are based at Arizona State University and will conduct security sweeps at this year’s Super Bowl to locate any type of explosive, firearm or ammunition that may be in close proximity to the stadium or other venue relating to the big game. More »

January 31, 2011

DALLAS — Super Bowl brings together the best teams in football, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has brought its best K-9 teams to North Texas. Deputy Jeff Craven and Angel are based in Pima County and will conduct security sweeps at this year’s Super Bowl to locate any type of explosive, firearm or ammunition that may be in close proximity to the stadium or other venue relating to the big game.More »

January 31, 2011

DALLAS — Super Bowl brings together the best teams in football, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has brought its best K-9 teams to North Texas. U.S Marshal Kozuszko and Hope are based in Albuquerque with the United States Marshals Service and will conduct security sweeps at this year’s Super Bowl to locate any type of explosive, firearm or ammunition that may be in close proximity to the stadium or other venue relating to the big game. More »

January 25, 2011

PHOENIX — Grand juries have returned multi-count indictments in five cases against 34 defendants accused of assisting Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations with illegally trafficking firearms from the United States to Mexico. More »

November 3, 2010

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, today, a federal jury in Albuquerque convicted Daniel F. Mills, 29, of Rio Rancho, of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition after a three-day trial before Senior United States District Judge James A. Parker. The indictment, which was filed in September 2009, charged Mills was possession of a firearm and ammunition on June 4, 2009. More »

September 28, 2010

Michael Roy Turney, 62, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced here by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton to the statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. Turney pleaded guilty to Unlawful Possession of Unregistered Destructive Devices. More »

September 17, 2010

Deputy Director Kenneth E. Melson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today announced the formation of seven new Project Gunrunner firearms trafficking groups during a news conference in which he and Dennis K. Burke, United States Attorney, District of Arizona, announced the results of ATF’s Gun Runner Impact Team (GRIT) initiative, a nearly 100-day deployment of ATF resources to the Phoenix Field Division to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. More »

September 3, 2010

Lindbert Johnson, Jr., 45, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Martone to 105 months in federal prison for arson and assault with a dangerous weapon. These offenses occurred on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona. Johnson pleaded guilty to these offenses on May 25, 2010. More »

August 26, 2010

Juan Victor Munoz, 30, Sixto Alonzo Castro, 26, Modesto Castro, 28 all of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Bobby Joe Pierce, 31 of Modesto, California, were sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Frederick J. Martone for charges related to their role as a rip crewin a drug conspiracy. The court sentenced Munoz, the leader of the crew, to 15 years in prison. More »

August 10, 2010

The last defendant and leader of a firearms trafficking conspiracy that supplied over 100 assault rifles and other weapons to the Sinaloa drug cartel was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson in Tucson federal court. More »

March 2, 2010

A Tucson man prohibited from possessing firearms after a local domestic violence conviction was found guilty of a federal gun crime at trial. Rolando Roman Sanchez, 23, of Tucson, Ariz., was found guilty by a federal jury on February 25, 2010 of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Possessor. The case was tried before United States District Court Judge Frank R. Zapata. More »

February 22, 2010

Shawn Michael Nealon, 38, of Mesa, Arizona, pleaded guilty to the felony offense of Illegal Sale by a Federally Licensed Dealer to an Out-of-State Resident, in federal district court in Phoenix. In a separate agreement, Nealon's business, Cavalry Arms Corporation (Cavalry Arms), also pleaded guilty to one count of the felony offense of Illegal Sale by a Federally Licensed Dealer to an Out-of-State Resident. More »

Hodge Sentenced to Over 22 Years For Charges Relating to the Murder of Phoenix Taxi Cab Driver

February 17, 2010

Jimmy Presley Hodge, 28, of Phoenix, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 268 months in prison. Hodge pleaded guilty in December 2008 to Interference With Commerce by Threats and Violence (Hobbs Act) and Use of a Firearm in Connection with a Crime of Violence Causing Death. More »

Phoenix Press Release Archive

2009

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