A federal judge has delivered a guilty verdict against a man from South Los Angeles who was involved in an illicit operation selling 22 firearms and three silencers. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jonathan Perez, 34, has been found guilty of several federal charges, including conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license, engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, and possessing an unregistered firearm silencer.
The evidence presented during the trial revealed that Perez and his accomplices completed a total of seven transactions, selling 22 guns and three firearm silencers to an undisclosed informant. In a text message to an associate that was submitted as evidence, Perez made a statement indicating that he was “selling straps to the cartel.”
Perez himself was responsible for the production of many of the 18 “ghost guns” that were sold to the informant throughout the 2017 transactions. The conviction comes after a three-day bench trial in August, presided over by U.S. District John A. Kronstadt. Perez is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on January 25th in downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors have noted that he could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison for the three counts he has been convicted of.
In separate cases, two other individuals pleaded guilty to charges related to a narcotics conspiracy that is linked to this firearm trafficking operation. The guilty pleas were entered in 2018 and 2021.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
