Mexican National Indicted After Traffic Stop for Alleged Criminal Possession of a Firearm

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

AUSTIN, Texas – A federal grand jury in Austin returned an indictment this week charging a Mexican national with one count of possession of firearm by illegal alien.

According to court documents, Marcelo Olvera-Moreno was stopped while driving in Hutto, Jan. 24. A Williamson Country Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted the traffic stop after allegedly observing the passenger in Olvera-Moreno’s vehicle fire a handgun from the front passenger window. Olvera-Moreno admitted to law enforcement that he knew that he was illegally and unlawfully in the United States and that he had purchased the pistol at a flea market approximately three months prior.

Olvera-Moreno made his initial court appearance Jan. 28. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Williamson Country Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel Cohen and Daniel Castillo are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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