SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A West Valley City man has been sentenced to more than two years in jail and three years of supervised release after he admitted to three counts of aiding and abetting false statements during the acquisition or the attempted acquisition of a firearm.
Jose Manuel Barbosa-Torres, 36, was sentenced Monday after being one of four people indicted in October of last year for allegedly purchasing guns intended for transport to Mexico.
According to court documents and statements made at the change-of-plea hearing, Barbosa-Torres provided “funding for his co-defendants to purchase or attempt to purchase multiple Barrett .50 caliber rifles in August 2023, in the District of Utah. The purchases were from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). The defendants filled out an ATF Form 4473, where they indicated they were the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and certified the submitted information was accurate, when it was false,” says a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
“Barbosa-Torres purchased or facilitated the purchase of at least eight .50 BMG caliber rifles knowing they would be trafficked to Mexico. These weapons have the capacity to inflict massive destruction,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah. “Working with law enforcement, my office will continue to vigorously prosecute firearm trafficking that could lead to violence in our district or anywhere else.”
“ATF is on the frontline of the fight against organized international firearms trafficking,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “We are grateful for the collaboration between ATF and our industry partners which played a significant role in stopping the illegal flow of firearms into the hands of Sinaloa Cartel members in Mexico.”
Barbosa-Torres’ co-defendant Iliana Dennis is scheduled for sentencing on April 22, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Co-defendants Armando Figueroa Jr. and Cecilio Luis Arriaga are pending trial.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorney Victoria McFarland, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, prosecuted the case.
