A Central Florida man was sentenced for firearms trafficking.
24-year-old Fernando Munguia Jr., of Leesburg in Lake County, Florida, was sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to four years in federal prison for making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a federal firearm licensee (FFL) to maintain false information in its official records.
The firearms and ammunition seized at the U.S. border:
According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Munguia illegally straw-purchased multiple firearms. For the purchases, Munguia indicated on the mandatory background paperwork that he was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms. Those statements, however, were false since Munguia had been paid to purchase the firearms on behalf of someone else.
Nine of the firearms purchased by Munguia, along with other guns, were subsequently intercepted by United States Customs and Border Protection on May 27, 2023, when another individual attempted to transport them from Eagle Pass, Texas across the border and into Mexico. Authorities intercepted Munguia’s firearms less than a month after he had purchased them.
A subsequent records check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed that between January and November 2023, Fernando Munguia had purchased 44 firearms for a total of $23,334.25, an amount representing approximately two-thirds of his reported annual income. The records also showed that his purchases frequently involved multiple, identical firearms of the same model and caliber.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Custom and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
This Central Florida case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect local communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Munguia pleaded guilty on January 26, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
The post Central Florida Man Sentenced for Firearms Trafficking appeared first on West Orlando News.
Source: West Orlando News
Published: 2026-06-19 12:53:00