Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MIAMI — On Feb. 26, Elieser Sori-Rodriguez, 51, of Pompano Beach, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg for smuggling firearms from the U.S.to the Dominican Republic.

Sori-Rodriguez conspired to purchase firearms by means of a false statement and smuggle them out of the U.S. by directing co-conspirators to purchase firearms on his behalf, hiding the firearms inside boxes marked as household goods, and sending the firearms to the Dominican Republic using a freight shipping service. Co-defendants John Thomas Neal, Shane Sepersaude, and William Ilijic assisted Sori-Rodriguez in the conspiracy.

On Nov. 30, 2023, Sori-Rodriguez pled guilty to conspiracy to purchase firearms by means of false statement, three counts of purchase of firearms by means of false statement, smuggling firearms from the U.S., and delivery of a firearm to a common carrier without written notification. Neal, Sepersaude, and Ilijic previously pled guilty to purchasing a firearm by means of a false statement and were sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, made the announcement. 

HSI Fort Pierce and ATF investigated this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hudock prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through the PSN program a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-14016.

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