Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging three Raleigh residents with straw purchasing a firearm that was used in a homicide last month on Poole Road in Raleigh.
“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the first major gun violence reduction bill passed in years and has quickly become a powerful crime-fighting tool for law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The gun purchased in this case was allegedly used in a homicide just two weeks later. Our Violent Crime Action Plan prioritizes prosecuting trigger pullers and straw buyers who buy weapons for those that shouldn’t have them.
“Not only are these individuals charged with conspiring to put guns in the hands of people not legally allowed to buy one, but sadly, someone lost their life as a result. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to end gun violence in our communities,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in North Carolina.
According to charging documents, on January 20, 2024, at a gun show in Raleigh, Ever Arroyo Gasga, age 24, allegedly purchased two firearms for Anselmo Arroyo Gonzalez, age 49, and Jimmy Arroyo Maldonado, age 18, who were each legally prohibited from purchasing firearms themselves. Approximately two weeks later, on February 5, 2024, one of these guns, a Glock 23, .40 caliber pistol, was allegedly used by another individual to commit a homicide at 1308 Poole Road, Raleigh.
As alleged in the indictment, Gonzalez is prohibited from legally purchasing firearms because he is a Mexican citizen who does not have legal status in the United States. Gonzalez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in November 2016. Maldonado is prohibited from legally purchasing firearms because he is under indictment by state authorities for felony offenses, including felony fleeing to elude arrest.
Each defendant faces charges of aiding and abetting, conspiracy, and straw purchasing firearms. Gasga, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Arroyo Gonzalez faces additional charges of illegal reentry and possession of a firearm by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. If convicted, he faces maximum penalties totaling 32 years in prison and deportation from the United States. Maldonado faces additional charges of possession of a firearm by a person under felony indictment and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, he faces maximum penalties totaling 40 years in prison.
This case is being prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms. For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
This indictment is a result of the ongoing VCAP initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Raleigh Police Department (RPD) are investigating the case, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Homeland Security (HSI), and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Nokes and Charles E. Loeser are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.