According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a 26-year-old male from San Juan named Jamez Aaron Sandoval was found guilty of carrying destructive devices and using a handgun in support of narcotics trafficking and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.
On September 19, Sandoval, who admitted to being a part of the Westside gang, entered a guilty plea.
The sentence, which includes three years of supervised release after incarceration, was handed down by U.S. Chief District Judge Randy Crane.
It was disclosed throughout the hearing that Sandoval videotaped himself firing fully automatic firearms, carried a pistol during a grenade transaction, and attempted to construct a homemade grenade.
Through social media posts depicting a person shooting a gun fitted with a machinegun conversion device at law enforcement, Sandoval incited violence, according to Judge Crane.
After Sandoval bought two grenade-style explosive devices from an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent, authorities detained him on August 1.
A later search of his home turned up guns, cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. Prior to trying to buy explosives, Sandoval had sold machinegun conversion devices to law enforcement.
Subsequent research showed that Sandoval protected himself during drug trafficking operations by using a weapon that was discovered in his home. He is still being held until he is sent to a facility run by the US Bureau of Prisons.
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The Alamo Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, and ATF all participated in the case as part of their collaborative investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced in May 2021 as a program to reduce violent crime.
Building community trust, assisting groups that prevent violence, establishing strategic enforcement goals, and tracking outcomes are the main objectives of the program.
Reference: Gang member sentenced for possessing grenades and firearm
