Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Ohio
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Justin E. Herdman
Contact: Mike Tobin
Mexican citizen living in Massillon indicted for attempting to illegally ship eight firearms and ammunition from Canton to Laredo, Texas
A Mexican citizen living in Massillon was indicted for attempting to illegally ship eight firearms and ammunition from Canton to Laredo, Texas.
Brian Isael Velazquez-Mata, 24, was indicted on one count of delivery of firearms and ammunition to common carrier without written notice for transportation or shipment in interstate commerce to unlicensed person.
Velazquez-Mata attempted to ship two packages containing eight firearms, body armor and ammunition from the UPS store at 7257 Fulton Drive NW in Canton, to Laredo, Texas, on December 7, 2018, according to the indictment.
Among the contents in the packages were: a Windham .308-caliber rifle; a Century Arms 7.62 x 39 mm rifle; a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifle; a Windham .223/5.56-caliber rifle; a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol; a Smith & Wesson 40-caliber pistol; a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol; a Glock .40-caliber pistol and ammunition, according to the indictment.
“This defendant attempted to illegally send an arsenal, as well as body armor and ammunition, from Canton to the southwest border,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. “Law enforcement did an excellent job to stop the shipment of these firearms.”
The investigation is ongoing.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Medway Drug Enforcement Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron P. Howell.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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