United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced the unsealing of an indictment against Eugenio Gonzalez-Paredes, a 53-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Gonzalez-Paredes is charged with making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in federal prison.
The indictment alleges that Gonzalez-Paredes falsely stated on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 that he had not been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. In reality, he had two prior convictions for illegal reentry by a previously deported alien in the United States District Court in the District of Puerto Rico.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a formal charge and does not imply guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman will prosecute the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on fostering community trust, supporting preventive community-based organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.