Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, FL – Juan Carlos Ramirez-Arcos (34, Bradenton) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm or ammunition as an illegal alien. He faces a maximum term of 10 years in federal prison. He is also required to forfeit the firearm and ammunition that were used in committing the offense. The Ramirez-Arcos sentencing hearing is set for August 19, 2019.

 

According to court records, on October 17, 2015, Ramirez-Arcos shot and killed Jose Luis Mendoza-Aguilar, known around the neighborhood as the “ice cream man” because he sold ice cream and other snacks in the area. Mendoza-Aguilar was shot three times and died approximately five hours after the shooting. Ramirez-Arcos was tried for murder in Manatee County. At his state trial, Ramirez-Arcos testified that he acted in self-defense and was acquitted.

 

Further investigation had revealed that Ramirez-Arcos was illegally in the United States when he shot Mendoza-Aguilar and had been so since approximately 2001. Moreover, according to a review of the firearm and ammunition Ramirez-Arcos used to shoot Mendoza-Aguilar, the firearm had traveled in foreign commerce and the ammunition had traveled in interstate commerce. Ramirez-Arcos was therefore indicted in federal court with illegal possession of a firearm.

 

This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bradenton Police Department, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.