EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two Arizona men face conspiracy charges – one for allegedly lying and the other for allegedly paying him to lie – in connection with the purchase of 59 firearms.
According to documents filed Tuesday in federal court, Jose Humberto Sandoval Limon made false statements to firearms dealers on 27 occasions while acquiring the nearly five dozen guns between September 2021 and July 3, 2024.
Prosecutors allege Sandoval made false representations as to who was buying the weapons. They maintain it was a man named Jose Perez Villarreal who gave Sandoval the money for each purchase and would receive delivery of the guns afterwards.
Some of the case documents have been sealed, so it’s not clear what happened to the firearms.
Investigators allege the firearms were purchased from licensed dealers at retail locations including Sportsman’s Warehouse and Sprague’s Sports. Neither the retailers nor their licensed dealers are accused of wrongdoing.
The issue of fraudulent gun purchases in Arizona prompted a 2022 lawsuit by the Government of Mexico against five dealers operating in the state.
Mexico alleges many of those guns end up being used in violent acts south of the border. The judge overseeing that case has given the Mexican government and the dealers until April 15 to file motions of discovery.
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