Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Mexican Man Sentenced for Being Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that JUAN SANTOS PEREZ-ZAVALA, age 25, a native of Mexico, was sentenced by on May 26, 2020 on a one-count indictment which charged him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A). ZAVALA was sentenced to credit for time served by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. ZAVALA has been incarcerated since April 2019.
According to court documents, ZAVALA was an illegal alien in possession of a firearm on April 16, 2019, found in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Court documents also alleges he illegally possessed a Keltec model P11 9 millimeter pistol.
ZAVALA faced a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. He will be turned over to federal immigration authorities for deportation to Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
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