According to court documents, Jose Manuel Barbosa Torres, 36, of West Valley City; Armando Figueroa Jr., 20, of Magna; Cecilio Luis Arriaga, 27, of West Valley City; and Iliana Dennis, 20, of West Valley City, were charged in a sealed indictment on Oct. 18, 2023. It wasn’t explained why the indictments were initially sealed.
The defendants are accused of purchasing or attempting to purchase numerous Barrett .50 BMG caliber rifles between April 2023 and August 2023, according to federal prosecutors in Salt Lake City.
“The purchases were from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). These firearms typically retail between $8,500 to $10,000. In furtherance of the crime, each defendant filled out an ATF Form 4473, wherein they indicated they were the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and certified the submitted information was accurate, when it was false.”
In August 2023, agents intercepted Barbosa Torres and Dennis during an attempted firearm purchase, according to the Wednesday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah detailing the investigation.
Barbosa Torres allegedly told agents Dennis was purchasing the firearm at his request, and that the firearm was ultimately destined for Cesar Rivera, who was in Arizona. During the investigation, Barbosa Torres again acknowledged the firearms were being purchased for Rivera, and stated Rivera was sending the firearms to Culiacán, Mexico.
Rivera recently appeared before the U.S. District Court in the District of Utah for a firearms case in Arizona. He was arrested in Utah on Oct. 23, 2023, at Barbosa Torres’ West Valley City residence. Barbosa Torres, Figueroa, Arriaga, and Dennis were also arrested on Oct. 23, 2023, on warrants related to the indictment.
Barbosa Torres is charged with making false statements during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms, and aiding and abetting. Figueroa, Arriaga and Dennis are also charged respectively in the indictment. A five-day jury trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 15, 2023, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.
