Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Jose Fernando Dominguez (51, Jacksonville) to 10 months in federal prison for making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm. Dominguez entered a guilty plea on October 1, 2024.
According to court documents, in February 2024, Dominguez completed ATF Form 4473 while attempting to purchase a Springfield XD pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Jacksonville. On the form, Dominguez indicated that he had not been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and that he had not been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment. Both statements were false. Dominguez had previously been convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery in Duval County and three crimes punishable by more than one year of imprisonment in Miami-Dade County, including grand theft, possession of cocaine, and sale, manufacture, deliver, or possess with intent a controlled substance. Dominguez was on probation for the domestic battery conviction at the time he made the false statement on the form. Because of his prior convictions, Dominguez is prohibited from possessing or purchasing firearms under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
This is another case uncovered through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement and are reviewed daily for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when trying to buy a gun.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.