News Blog
Salinas Gunrunner Sentenced
May 26, 2011
A 30-year-old Salinas man was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for selling military-style weapons and ammunition.
Israel Espinoza was convicted of conspiring to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a federal firearms license, violating title 18 of U.S. Code section 371, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haig said in a written release. Espinoza tried to unload nine weapons and 7000 rounds of ammunition in late 2010, including a fully automatic and suppressed AR-15 assault rifle, an SKS rifle and an M1 rifle with a disfigured serial number.
Espinoza’s prosecution resulted from a joint investigation, involving the U.S. Department of Justice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the Salinas Police Department and the Monterey Sheriff’s Office.
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