Firearms dealer pleads guilty; surrenders federal license

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas | Press Release

A 32-year-old Laredo man has pleaded guilty to selling a firearm to a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Ricardo Estevis Jr. was the operating officer of Rick’s Armory LLC in Laredo and admitted to illegally manufacturing firearms without a license.

On Feb. 15, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at his home and business. It resulted in the discovery of at least 13 firearms that Estevis made in violation of several federal laws and was incompatible with his dealer-only federal firearms license.

Estevis admitted making the firearms – some of which were illegal to make or possess without a special license – and had them for sale at his home business.

After his arrest, Estevis surrendered his federal firearms license on behalf of the business and personally agreed to stop acquiring firearms inventory and transferring firearms to the public as of April 24.

“Estevis abused the privilege of a federal firearm license by intentionally selling a pistol to a five-time convicted felon and by making illegal firearms and lying about it,” said Hamdani. “He pursued financial profits over the safety of our citizens. The protection of our communities from criminals with guns is one of my primary responsibilities, something I take very seriously.”

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Estevis faces up to 15 years for selling the pistol. The conviction also carrys up to $250,000 maximum possible fine.

Estevis was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Laredo Police Department and the Webb County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case which is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.